3
12. The law relating to glanders and farcy has been amended by Act XIII
of 1899. The additional powers now given to Inspectors under Section 5 of the
Act permits them "to enter and search any field, building or other place for the
purpose of ascertaining whether there is therein any horse which is diseased,"
and does away with the limitations heretofore placed upon entry and search.
The revised Act also provides for the use of tests and isolation of horses sub-
jected thereto, and for the recovery of the expense of detaining, isolating and
testing horses from owners or persons in charge. These new powers will, I feel
sure, tend to facilitate the working of the Department, and, in time, to eradicate
glanders from the City, a disease which but a few years back was enzootic here.
13. An Act, the Live-stock Importation Act of 1898, has been passed
with the view to deal more minutely and specifically with animal diseases likely
to be brought to this country from abroad.
Under Government Resolution, Revenue Department, No. 4871, dated 27th
July 1898, I was deputed to form one of the members of the Committee, which
assembled at Poona, to draw up the draft rules under Section 4 of the Bill (Live-
stock), which are now before Government for approval.
The draft rules were circulated, under the orders of Government, to all
the leading firms and others interested in the horse trade of Bombay, and,
practically speaking, they were accepted as they stood.
14. Both rinderpest and foot and mouth disease have existed in the City,
more especially during the latter part of 1898 and the early months of 1899.
The latter disease was of a most virulent type, and a few cases made their appear-
ance among the cattle of the Commissariat and Transport Department and the
Gun Carriage Factory; but prompt preventive measures were taken, with the
result that the disease made no headway; in fact, it never got beyond the animals
that were primarily affected.
In November 1898 I addressed the Municipal Commissioner for the City,
pointing out that cases of rinderpest were in existence, and recommending that
a spot be selected for the isolation and treatment of cattle suffering from the
disease. This was not carried out for want of funds and for the reason that the
treatment of cattle diseases, which is alleged to be expensive, is not worth the
cost, because of the low price of cattle.
As cattle disease still existed in March of this year, I again addressed the
Municipal Commissioner, drawing his attention to the fact, and making certain
recommendations and, I am glad to say, that a segregation hospital has been
established and systematic treatment is being carried out. A notification was
also published by the Commissioner under Section 434 of the Bombay Municipal
Act of 1888, embodying certain repressive measures, but the notification only
included foot and mouth disease and not rinderpest, although the latter disease
existed at the same time.
In this office letter No. 88-L., dated 16th March 1899, I asked, through
Government, that the Municipal Commissioner be requested to furnish a weekly
report on Civil Veterinary Department Form II of all cattle diseases existing
in the City, and in their Resolution, General Department, No. 1459, dated 29th
March 1899, Government were pleased to sanction this arrangement.
15. Under Government Resolution, Revenue Department, No. 73, dated
6th January 1899, experiments in connection with the hides of animals that
had died of rinderpest were conducted at the Government Lazaretto for animals.
One series of experiments was carried out, followed by a second, quite indepen-
dently of each other, the results of which were, that it was found impossible to
convey rinderpest to healthy animals through the medium of hides taken from
those dead from the disease, after being prepared for export according to the
native method.
Full details of the experiments were conveyed to Government in my reports
Nos. 46-L., 75-L., and 114-L., dated 10th February, 3rd March and 11th April
1899, respectively.
Opportunity was taken of the presence of rinderpest at the Lazaretto to
conduct experiments in regard to bile as a prophylactic agent, a report of which
was submitted in my No. 122-L., dated 18th April 1899.