15
that I should work as a preliminary measure at the Sewri Lazaretto until some-
thing definite was ascertained. Rinderpest is always available in Bombay and,
moreover, the requisite instruments and appliances were to be had from the
Bombay Veterinary College. My experiments up to date are not finished and I,
therefore, cannot report fully upon them. I may, however, state that on account
of the mild form of rinderpest great difficulty has been found in cultivating a
serum. I have found that a great many of the animals I have purchased are
already immune from the disease, either from having had a previous attack or
having inherited the immunity. It will on this account be very hard to com-
pare the success or otherwise of these experiments with those carried out in
South Africa, where the disease is an acute epidemic as compared with the
endemic form found here (ride my letter No. 365, dated 23rd March 1899, printed
as Appendix A, showing the similarity of rinderpest in this country and in South
Africa).
52. At the instance of the Inspector-General, Civil Veterinary Department,
enquiries were made in the various districts in this Presidency with regard to
the prevalence of rabies and warbles, and the following reports were submitted.
Rabies.
53. The statistics with regard to cases of rabies amongst animals are not
as reliable as they should be, as many isolated cases in
all probability are never reported. The number of
reported cases of all animals affected by rabies in the past year is 87, all of
which either died or were destroyed. There was only one case amongst wild
animals reported. This was a jackal. There is one recorded case, that of a
buffalo, being bitten by a rabid dog without any result.
As far as I can gather from the imperfect statistics that are kept, there is a
very slight increase in the number of cases with the exception of the Thána
District which accounts for 58 of the cases above reported. The cause of this
large number is probably due to the fact that Thána is in immediate connection
with the town of Bombay, in which place rabies is always prevalent, and the
reason why the number of cases is an increase on previous years is due to the
fact that a large number of homeless dogs are wandering about as the result of
their owners having died of plague, this disease having been very prevalent in
Thána during the last year.
I have made suggestions to Government that greater care should be taken
in the reporting of all cases of rabies, and that further precautions should be
taken by the Police authorities for the destruction of all homeless wandering
dog's, as it is a fact that these dogs become affected by the disease, and form more
ready means for the dissemination of the contagion than dogs who are kept under
control. It has been recommended that this disease should be included in
C. V. D. Form II, and a short synopsis of symptoms is given below:—
Dog behaving differently from its accustomed habits; temper becomes
very irritable; tendency to bite on the slightest provocation. This rapidly
becomes followed by profuse frothy discharge from the mouth; a depraved
appetite, so that the animal swallows pieces of stones, straw, sticks, &c.
There is a spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the throat, so that the
animal is unable to drink water. This is followed by wild delirium and
death taking place from 24 hours to 3 days. In the other variety known as
dumb rabies the above symptoms are manifested in a modified degree. The
animal becomes paralysed in the hind quarters and has very little inclination
to bite.
Warbles.
54. I made enquiries concerning the disease known as warbles during
my tours in the districts of this Presidency and also
issued circulars to the Collectors and Veterinary Gradu-
ates. In all the replies received, the disease is unknown. I visited a number
of tanneries in the various districts and in all cases the tanners deny the existence
of any disease resembling the one in question. I myself have never seen any
skin affected. I have, however, elicited the following facts:—
That in a great number of hides, which are those of old draught animals, I
have found holes in the skin, but these holes are generally in the region of the
croup and rarely extend as far as the shoulder, but they are due to the injuries
inflicted by the goad in driving as can be seen by the irregular shape of the hole