20
districts from which animals are purchased. Foot and mouth disease
remained throughout the whole year. Mr. Grundy, the purchasing Agent, was
unable to obtain more than half the supply of bulls required each month. Of
the bulls received, the majority arrived with severe lesions of foot and mouth
disease. Few of the bulls were in suitable condition and there was a large
percentage of calves and very old animals. The following is a statement of
the animals received with, a record of their condition :—
Numbers
received free
from disease.
680*
Numbers
affected
with foot and
mouth disease at
time of arrival.
1,447
Total number
received.
2,127†
CONDITION OF BULLS RECEIVED.
In suitable
condition.
1,257
Calves
under 1
year age.
301
Old.
169
Weak.
400
Total.
2,127
* Many of these became infected soon after arrival.
† Out of these 203 animals died soon after arrival at Muktesar.
207. To avoid an entire failure of the supply of serum, the diseased bulls
had to be used. The treatment of the affected bulls and the carrying out of
all necessary precautions to prevent the infection spreading among the serum
preparing and other experimental animals, threw a very heavy amount of
extra work on the whole staff.
208. The fact that in face of all these difficulties, although the issue had
to be suspended for a short time, the preparation of serum was not once inter-
rupted and that the amount of rinderpest serum prepared falls short by about
one lac of doses, taking the mean annual output at 5 lacs doses, testifies to the
zeal and good work of the staff directly engaged in that duty.
209. The shortage in the supply of bulls has also been a serious drawback
to all experimental treatment as well as to the preparation of serum. Only
animals discontinued from serum preparation could be spared for this work.
The year has also been a disastrous one for Mr. Grundy who lost a large
number of bulls from disease on the road to Muktesar.
210. As far as the limited supply of bulls permitted, experiments were
carried out with a view to improve methods of rinderpest serum preparation.
A number of discontinued bulls were sent out into the district immune to
rinderpest.
211. Two series of experiments were conducted by a new method and
also other experiments with dilutions of virulent blood.
212. Investigation as to the possibility of using plains bulls only in the
preparation of serum were started and are still in progress. This question
is one of great importance, as the supply of hill bulls is becoming more diffi-
cult to obtain each year.
Anthrax anti-serum.
213. During the year under review 12,168 doses of this serum were pre-
pared as against 29,786 doses, and 12,404 doses issued against 30,933 doses
during the previous year. The amount of manufacture was regulated accord-
ing to the demand in the field.
214. The following table shows the result of injections carried out in
the field with anti-anthrax serum :—
PROVINCE.
Madras . .
Mysore State .
Number of outbreaks in
which inoculation was
undertaken.
1
1
NUMBER OF ANIMALS
WHICH DIED UNIN-
OCULATED IN COURSE
OF OUTBREAK.
Equines.
...
...
Bovines.
13
15
Others.
...
...
NUMBER OF ANIMALS
INOCULATED.
Equines.
...
...
Bovines.
36
220
Others.
...
...
NUMBER OF ANIMALS
WHICH DIED AFTER
INOCULATION.
Equines.
...
...
Bovines.
...
1
Others.
...
...
REMARKS.