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has arisen because, in oases, inoculators formerly claimed, through ignorance
that the inoculation possessed virtues which it does not possess and in cose-
quence the expectations of the villagers were not fulfilled and disappointment
and mistrust resulted.
12. It is now the routine practice in all outbreaks attended for Veterinary
Assistants to read aloud to the people printed pamphlet on the disease in
question or inoculation, explain the condition, answer questions and demon-
strate the line of treatment to be adopted.
13. During the year under report 588 specimens were forwarded by
Veterinary Assistants to the Laboratory at the Bombay Veterinary College for
bacteriological examination and report. Considerable attention has been paid
to this branch of their duties by Veterinary Assistants and the information
derived from the examination of the specimens will assist greatly in the correct
mapping of disease areas.
(2)—Other diseases.
14 The Veterinary Assistants treated 11,291 cases on tour, of which 6,122
were for contagious diseases and the remainder non-contagious as against
15,985 cases last year, of which 7,719 were contagious cases. The decrease in
number of cases treated on tour is due to several itinerating dipensaries having
been closed. The total number of cases treated by Veterinary Assistants as in
and out-patients during the year amounts to 68,630 as against 56,550 last year
and 43,517 in 1907-08. There has thus been a total of 77,921 cases treated as
against 72,535 last year, an increase of 5,386.
(3)—Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries
15. There were in all 35 Veterinary dispensaries established at the end of
the year under report as against 32 last year. The following were 1st Class
ones:—Dhulia, Jalgaon, Násik, Nagar, Poona, Sholápur, Sátára, Belgaum,
Bijápur, Dhárwár, Ratnágiri, Alibág, Kalyán, Surat, Broach, Godhra, Nadiád
and Ahmedabad and the remainder 2nd Class. There were thus 18 1st Class
and 17 2nd Class.
The Veterinary dispensary formerly known as the Poona District Veteri
nary Dispensary was handed over to the Agricultural Department to form part
of the Agricultural College, Poona, and so is not included this year in this
report.
16. The following new dispensaries were opened :—(I) Yeola replacing the
Násik itinerating dispensary, (II) Bárámati replacing the Poona itinerating
dispensary, (III) A'nand replacing the Kaira itinerating dispensary, (IV) Kalyán
replacing the Thána dispensary, (V) Broach, (VI) Bulsár, (VII) Viramgám,
(VIII) Bail Hongal, (Belgaum District). There were thus 8 new dispensaries
opened and 4 old ones closed. In addition to the 4 additional dispensaries
opened the sanction of Government was received to opening dispensaries at
Bágalkot and Kapadvanj, but Veterinary Assistants were not available to take
charge of them and so they could not be opened.
17. The buildings of the Belgaum Veterinary dispensary were completed
during the year and the Nandurbár Veterinary dispensary buildings were nearly
completed at the close of the year and will be ready for occupation before the
coming monsoon.
18. It may be seen from the following review of the working of the various
dispensaries that there has again been some progress in their sphere of utility.
The average number of cases treated per dispensary is 2,226 as against 2,266
last year, if all the 8 new dispensaries are included ; but as these were only in
their first year and as several of them were only working for a few weeks or
days and treated very few or no cases, the figures do not give a correct idea of
the extent to which these institutions are utilised. If the 8 new dispensaries
B 309—64-