15
ANNUAL ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE CIVIL VETERI-
NARY DEPARTMENT, BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE
YEAR 1918-19.
Lieut.-Colonel G. K. Walker was in charge of the Department for the first
two days of April and from the 17th December 1918 to the 31st March 1919.
During his absence Mr. Buxy, Deputy Superintendent, held charge until relieved
by Mr. Taylor on the 9th April. The Superintendent was on tour for 161 days
(Lieut.-Colonel Walker 60 and Mr. Taylor 101) and travelled 12,724 miles by rail
and 2,078 by road. He visited 15 districts, inspected 26 dispensaries and 10
stallion stands once or more, and interviewed district officers and others interest-
ed in the work of the Department. Lieut.-Colonel Walker, since his return from
leave, was considerably engaged in advisory work connected with the feeding
of cattle in famine tracts and at cattle camps and panjrapoles. The Superintend-
ent investigated several outbreaks of contagious disease. He visited the
Northcote Cattle Farm at Chharodi six times and inspected sites for the pro-
posed cattle farms at Bankapur (Dharwar District) and Sulia (West Khandesh)
He conducted the supplementary examination at the Bombay Veterinary
College in April and acted as President of the Board of Examiners in December.
He attended the Science Congress at Bombay in January and the Veterin-
ary Conference at Lahore in March.
He also attended a conference of magistrates at Bombay regarding the
application of the "Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act" in that city
Mr. Taylor attended the I. D. F. Camp of Exercise.
2. Mr. J. D. Buxy held the post of Deputy Superintendent and Personal
Assistant to the Superintendent throughout the year. He was 34 days on tour
and travelled 4,477 miles by rail, 619 miles by road and 148 miles by sea.
He visited 7 districts and inspected 13 dispensaries and 3 stallion stands.
He attended several outbreaks of equine and bovine contagious disease in the
course of his tours.
He visited the panjrapoles of Ahmedabad to report specially on the cattle
maintained there and their fodder requirements. His touring work was
interfered with considerably owing to the heavy nature of his duties at head-
quarters.
I.—VETERINARY INSTRUCTION.
3. The usual practical instruction in field work was given to the newly
joined veterinary assistants, but no post-graduate training was provided at the
Bombay Veterinary College during the year under report.
II.—TREATMENT OF DISEASE.
Table II.
4. Contagious disease was reported from all the districts and from the
City of Bombay.
10,550 deaths were recorded against 21,137 last year. The decrease in the
mortality from rinderpest and hæmorrhagic septicæmia was very marked and
may be attributed to a great extent to the scanty rainfall. The Veterinary
Assistants attended 1,849 outbreaks, of which 75 were also attended by the
Veterinary Inspectors.
Of this number 1,803 were reported by the revenue officials. If the village
officers had attended to their duties more closely the numbers would have been
at least equal and probably much more.
Equine contagious disease.
5. Five cases of glanders were reported from Bombay City, which is a
great improvement over the preceding year. Surra was reported from five
districts and from Bombay City. There were 149 deaths against 230 in the
previous year. As usual, Thana was the most severely affected district. Three
cases of epizootic lymphangitis were reported from Bombay City.