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841. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, South Punjab,
states:—
Details showing districts where outbreaks of cattle disease have occurred during the year are given in table M.
Rinderpest. This disease was reported by the Deputy Commissioners in
Table M., from every district but Rohtak, Simla, Dera Ghazi Khan and Mont-
gomery. One case was reported in the Muzaffargarh district, but it is extremely
unlikely that one case only occurred. The district in which the greatest number
of cases occurred was Kangra, and the number reported, as having been attacked,
was 2,913, the deaths being 1,065; the disease appears always to exist in this
district, the numbers attacked every year being thousands more than those
reported in any other district; thus, last year, the number attacked was 6,094 with
3,358 deaths. Next, in point of number, being the Hoshiarpur district with 2,537
cases and 1,218 deaths.
842. The number of cattle attacked this year with this disease is very much
less in all districts than it was last year, and this is due to the drought of the previous
year, and the resulting famine which caused the death, by starvation, of large number
of animals. It is probable also that climatic conditions were favorable for the
destruction to an unusual degree of pathogenic micro-organisms. It is a well
known fact, for instance, that they cannot withstand dessication for any prolonged
period. Statistics clearly prove that so far as the South Punjab is concerned, the
home of the disease is in the Kangra district, and it is very probable that it
extends from this district into others, which would otherwise remain free from it.
Any measures which may be adopted for its eradication should be begun here,
especially in the way of inoculation.
843. The districts in point of numbers which come next are Ludhiana,
with 514 cases and 287 deaths, Amritsar with 492 cases and 258 deaths, Umballa
with 455 cases and 280 deaths, Jullunder with 429 cases and 255 deaths,
Gurdaspur with 321 cases and 2.71 deaths, and Hoshiarpur with 315 cases and 195
deaths. In the remaining districts, comparatively few cases have occurred. Last
year the districts in which the greatest number of cases occurred stood in the follow-
ing order, viz:—Kangra with 2,537, Gurdaspur with 1,813, Amritsar with 1,645,
Multan with 1,544, Ludhiana with 1,370, Hissar with 1,113 and Umballa with 906,
the remaining districts having comparatively few cases. It will be seen that, speaking
generally, the nearer other districts are to that of the Kangra district the greater are
the number of cases of Rinderpest reported, those districts in the south of the South
Punjab, Delhi, Karnal, Rohtak and Gurgaon having comparatively few cases.
This, I think, cannot be due entirely to the want of a system of enumeration in
those districts, though there is no doubt that in some districts numerous outbreaks
occur which are never reported. Take for instance, the Dera Ghazi Khan district,
no cases were reported last year and only one case the year before, but I know
from information privately received at the time I attended the last Horse Show at
Dera Ghazi Khan, that Rinderpest prevailed in that district in the past year to a
most disastrous extent. The total number of cattle attacked with Rinderpest in
the South Punjab is reported to have been 5,125 with 2,814 deaths, but of course
this does not represent anything like the numbers which were actually attacked,
or which died of the disease.
Anthrax.—This disease was reported by the Deputy Commissioners in Table
M. from every district but Multan, Gurgaon, Dera Ghazi Khan, Simla and
Montgomery.
The largest number reported was in the Amritsar district, where 245 cases
occurred with 190 deaths, next comes Hoshiarpur with 221 cases and 210 deaths,
next Jullunder with 109 cases and 98 deaths, next Ludhiana with 101 cases and 98
deaths, and so on.
In this disease it is interesting to note the percentage of deaths as the
disease is a rapidly fatal one, and the mortality very high, thus the lowest
percentage of deaths is 77.55 in the Amritsar district, while it is 100.00 in the
Rohtak, Delhi, Umballa and Hissar districts. This proves that the diagnosis of the
disease is usually correct.
The total number attacked is reported as 984 with 892 deaths. Last year
the total number was 1,900 with 1,555 deaths. Here the decrease in the number
of cases this year, as in the case of Rinderpest, must be ascribed in a great measure