NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
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Bengal Veterinary College.
Preface—General Administration .. .. .. ..
Veterinary Instruction .. .. .. .. ..
Treatment of Diseases .. .. .. .. ..
Agricultural and Horticultural Sections .. .. .. ..
Breeding Operations .. .. .. .. .. ..
Provincial and Subordinate Establishment .. .. .. ..
Expenditure of the College .. .. .. .. ..
General Remarks .. .. .. .. .. ..
Raymond Research Laboratory .. .. .. .. ..
Epizootic Diseases of Animals Department in Calcutta .. .. ..
Table I
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Appendix A .. .. .. .. .. ..
Table II .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Table VII .. .. .. .. .. ..
Table VIII .. .. .. .. .. ..
PAGE.
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54
Annual Report of the Civil Veterinary Department, Bengal,
for the year 1928-29.
Preface and General Administration.
Mr. R. T. Davis, I.v.s. continued to act in my place as Director
and Veterinary Adviser to Government from the beginning of the year
till the 17th October 1928, when he reverted to his substantive appoint-
ment as Vice-Principal, Bengal Veterinary College. The Puja holi-
days were then about to begin and I returned to duty from leave in
England during these holidays on the 22nd of October last, and con-
tinued in charge for the remainder of the year.
2. During the period of seven months that he remained in charge
Mr. Davis spent 38 days on tour and travelled 4,804 miles by rail, 55
miles by road and 254 miles by steamer. He inspected the veterinary
work at Mymensingh, Darjeeling, Ghoom, Kurseong, Naogaon,
Asansol and Dacca, and suggested means for the improvement and
expansion of veterinary aid in these places. He also laid the founda-
tion stone of the Naogaon Dispensary. In September last he went to
Simla to attend the Conference held under the auspices of His
Excellency the Viceroy to secure the prompt and co-ordinate considera-
tion for the recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Agri-
culture in India.
3. After my return from England much time had to be devoted to
the disposal of urgent work at headquarters. Routine tours were there-
fore curtailed to the minimum and I visited only those places where
my presence was essentially necessary. In the course of these tours
I checked and supervised the work of the subordinate staff at Rangpur,
Gaibandha, Kalimpong, Chinsura, Dacca, Mymensingh, Burdwan,
Khulna and Barisal and consulted and advised local bodies, as usual,
regarding the rural problems connected with this department. I also
attended a meeting of the Cattle Improvement Committee at Rangpur
and gave my views regarding the selection of livestock kept in this
farm. At Chinsura I impressed upon the local body concerned the
early necessity of reviving the post of Itinerant Veterinary Assistant
Surgeon at Sheoraphuli in the Serampore subdivision, and at Burdwan
discussed with the Collector and the Chairman, District Board, the
feasibility of retaining at least one of the two additional posts of
Itinerant Veterinary Assistant Surgeon proposed for abolition in that
district. In December I attended the Kalimpong Mela and acted as a
judge in the cattle show there. In January I visited Dacca and
supervised the arrangements made by the Assistant Director, Eastern
Range, for the serum simultaneous inoculation of a batch of cattle in
the Manipur Farm. In February I inspected the work of the staff
detailed on the Demonstration Train and presided at Gaibandha over
an open air lecture given on the care and treatment of animals with
the aid of cinema films. A free demonstration of serum simultaneous
inoculation against rinderpest was also organised during this month
under my direct supervision at the instance of Mr. Donovan, the
7
In addition to routine inspections of the work of Veterinary
Assistant Surgeons he attended and investigated outbreaks of Rinder-
pest in several villages in the Bakarganj district and acted as a judge
in the cattle show at Faridpur. He also assisted rne in arranging
for the demonstration campaign of inoculation against Rinderpest by
the serum simultaneous method at Patharghata and himself made
arrangements for similar campaign at Kamrangachar in the neigh-
bourhood of Dacca.
9. The only Veterinary Assistant Surgeon who is now on deputa-
tion to foreign service is Mr. N. P. Fernandez. He is still employed
in Mesopotamia. Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Babu N. N. Baner-
jee, who was employed on foreign service under the Sikkim
Durbar, was allowed leave for 11 months and 3 days with effect from
the 19th January, 1928—the date of reversion to his post in British
service.
10. The funds voted for the travelling allowance of the Assistant
Directors were found insufficient with the result that the tours of
these officers had to be restricted during the year.
Part I.—Veterinary Instruction.
11. As usual the staff of this department imparted instruction
to the raiyats with regard to the care, management and treatment of
cattle. Leaflets and pamphlets on various diseases were also distri-
buted by them. The Chairmen of the District Boards of Nadia and
Khulna rendered considerable assistance to this department by organ-
ising on their own account lantern lectures and demonstrations in
this connection. In the Eastern Range, Itinerant Veterinary Assist-
ant Surgeons continued to instruct the boys in simple veterinary
matters such as rearing, feeding, housing and ordinary ailments of
cattle.
12. Government have now been pleased to allot funds for the
appointment of a Special Officer for propaganda work of this depart-
ment, and it is hoped systematic progress in this direction will now
be possible.
Part II.—Treatment of Diseases.
13. The year under review was on the whole a healthy one for
the livestock of the Province, the total mortality from contagious
diseases being 13,848 as against 16,066 in the previous year. Table
II shows in detail the figures for each district.
14. A reference to these figures will show that Rinderpest,
as
usual, has been the most serious and accounted for 67 per cent of
the deaths reported from bovine diseases. The death roll
from
Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia was considerably higher than that in the
previous year owing to the outbreaks being particularly severe in the
districts of 24-Parganas, Pabna, Jalpaiguri and Mymensingh.
Equine Diseases.
15. Glanders.—Four deaths occurred under this head this year
1 in Midnapore and 3 in Nadia.
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No compensation was paid for the compulsory destruction of any
animals under the Act.
16-17. Anthrax and Dourine.— No loss under these heads was
reported during the year.
18. Surra.—There was a severe outbreak of Surra amongst hack
ponies in Chittagong Municipality. Altogether 17 ponies died on
this account, out of which 4 were destroyed under the Act and a sum
of Rs. 92-8 was paid to their owners as compensation. The disease
was confirmed by bacteriological examination.
19. Other diseases.—Only 5 deaths (4 in the Dacca Government
Veterinary Hospital and 1 at Sarisabari) occurred as against 3 in the
year previous.
Bovine Diseases.
20. Rinderpest.—During the year there has been considerable
abatement in deaths from this disease and very few districts were
seriously affected. Wherever it appeared inoculation
campaigns
were organised with the gratifying result that only 8,806 deaths were
recorded as against 11,790 in the previous year. The districts which
sufferred most seriously were Bakarganj and Tippera, where alto-
gether 3,693 animals died.
21. Foot and mouth.—There was a satisfactory decline in the
number of deaths from this disease, being 281 as against 693 in the
preceding year.
22. Hæmorrhagic septicæmia.—The
disease
appeared in a
sporadic form in almost all districts, and 3,158 animals succumbed
to it as against 1,899 in the previous year. The mortality was the
highest in the district of Pabna where 318 deaths occurred.
23. Blackquarter.—The loss under this head was 52 as against
37 in the preceding year.
24. Anthrax.—This is reported to have destroyed 262 head of
cattle as against 134 in the previous year. Entire reliance however
cannot be palced on these figures owing to the fact that the disease
usually occurring sporadically is of sudden onset and runs a rapidly
fatal course. It is not usually diagnosed by laymen and is often
mistaken for other diseases, snake-bite and poisoning.
25. Other contagious diseases.—Considerable less mortality is
noticed under this head, the loss being 497 as against 906 in the pre-
ceding year.
26. Contagious diseases amongst other animals.—These include
such diseases as rabies and distemper in dogs, fowl cholera and avian
distemper. The total number of deaths reported was 766 as against
599 in the previous year. Out of this number 564 deaths were on
account of avian distemper alone, which was very prevalent this year
in the eastern and northern parts of the Province. The above name
is given for want of a better one. The disease calls for investigation
and research as its nature is not understood and the problem of its
cure and prevention has still to be solved. It is reported that wild
birds also died of this disease, and if this is so, the solution is still
more difficult.
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Preventive Inoculation.
27. Table III shows the record of preventive inoculations per-
formed during the year.
28. Inoculation was undertaken in 596 outbreaks and 122,675
animals were protected as against 113,757 animals in 532 outbreaks
in the preceding year. Details of inoculation are as follow: —
Rinderpest
Hæmorrhagic
Septicæmia
Anthrax
Blackquarter
Total
...
...
...
...
...
...
1928-29.
93,489
27,226
1,333
627
122,675
1927-28.
95,834
16,558
1,167
198
113,757
29. A reference to the figures above will show that there has been
an appreciable increase in the number of cattle inoculated
due
chiefly to greater prevalence of outbreaks of Hæmorrhagic septicæmia
during the year.
30. These figures exclude 891 cases of inoculation
performed
against rinderpest at Char Patharghata by the serum simultaneous
method as well as 851 animals inoculated in Calcutta and its suburbs
by the staff of the Bengal Veterinary College.
31. The number of deaths amongst the inoculated animals was
510 only, or 0.4 per cent of the total.
32. A sum of Rs. 56,379-9 was paid to the Director of the
Imperial Institute of Veterinary Research at Mukteswar on account
of cost of sera and vaccines supplied to the Province during the year.
Table IV.
33. Table IV shows the number of animals treated by the
Itinerant Veterinary Assistant Surgeons both at headquarters and in
the interior. It also includes the work done in the mufassal by the
Itinerant Veterinary Assistant Surgeons in charge of dispensaries.
34. During the year there were 99 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons
working in the mufassal, of whom 72 were purely itinerant and 27 in
charge of dispensaries who toured either at fixed periods or when
necessity arose. In addition to the inoculation work referred to in
paragraph 28 of this report these officers visited 16,733 villages and
treated 131,564 cases as against 16,846 villages and 169,385 cases,
respectively, in the previous year. They also visited cattle pounds
and submitted reports to the local authorities regarding hygienic
conditions and supply of fodder and water to the cattle impounded.
They further attended chaukidari parades in than as and union boards
to ascertain the existence of cattle disease in the interior and
impressed on the chaukidars, daffadars and other reporting agencies
the urgent necessity of reporting promptly outbreaks of cattle disease
to them.
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Hospitals and Dispensaries.
35. Table V shows the working of the hospitals and dispensaries,
which numbered 44 in the Province during the year.
36. The number of in- and out-patients treated at these dispen-
saries was 60,606 and 9,353 cases were supplied with medicines as
against 71,159 and 21,290 cases, respectively, in the previous year.
The decrease is attributed partly to the closure of the Municipal
Veterinary Dispensary at Narainganj as also to the decrease in the
number of outbreaks of foot and mouth disease at district and sub-
divisional headquarters during the year.
37. The hospital at Dacca, as well as the quarters of the Veteri-
nary Assistant Surgeon attached thereto, were provided with electric
lights and fans during the year.
38. There had been a proposal for the transfer of a piece of land
measuring 005 of an acre to the Eastern Bengal Railway Autho-
rities from the compound of the Dacca Veterinary Hospital for a road
diversion in connection with the scheme for the remodelling of the
Dacca Station yard and it has been decided to make over the land on
payment of its market value and a recurring sum of Rs. 6-13-6 as
annual rent subject to the condition that the compound wall and
latrine would be rebuilt by the Railway at their own. cost.
39. The Veterinary Stores at Narainganj was shifted during the
year to one of the rooms of the newly constructed building for the
Local Board Office there.
40. The Maharaja of Susang in Mymensingh contemplates open-
ing a Veterinary Dispensary on his own estate in collaboration with
the District Board, but the scheme has not matured as yet.
41. The construction of a serum cellar at the Mymensingh
Hospital was taken up during the year and is nearing completion.
42. The defects in the Veterinary Assistant Surgeon's quarters
at Tangail, which were pointed out to the Board, were rectified and
a shed for sweeper and a stand for out-patients were constructed
during the year.
43. The question of sinking a tube-well in the compound of the
Sarishabari Veterinary Dispensary was under the contemplation of
the Board, but nothing has been done as yet.
44. Proposals for the construction of Veterinary Dispensary at
Jamalpur with quarters for the Assistant Surgeon on a piece of Gov-
ernment land are in progress.
45. The construction of Veterinary Dispensary and Serum Cellar
at Faridpur was under the contemplation of the District Board, but
the work could not be taken up owing to paucity of funds. The
Board, however, constructed a dispensary shed with Veterinary
Assistant Surgeon's quarters at Gopalganj during the year.
46. A dog kennel in the Barisal Veterinary Hospital was under
construction this year and a proposal for acquisition of more land for
further improvements of the hospital was submitted by the Board to
Government for sanction.
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47. Acquisition of land for dispensary and quarters for the
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon at Satkania was in progress and work
of construction will be undertaken as soon as possession of the land
is made over to the Board.
48. The corrugated iron roofing of the Cox's Bazar Dispensary
and erection of a waiting shed were completed during the year.
49. The venerable Rani Saheba of Dimla in the district of
Rangpur has kindly contributed Rs. 1,000 towards the construction
of the Veterinary Dispensary at that station. Our thanks are due to
the Rani Saheba and her able manager, Babu Kamini Kumar Singh
Roy, for this generous donation.
50. A sum of Rs. 1,300 was realised up to the end of the year by
Babu S. B. Ghose, Stationary Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Chin-
sura, for the construction of a dog ward in the hospital. Babu
Jogendra Lal Chaudhuri, zemindar, Chinsura, kindly met the cost of
putting up wire-netting round the stables of the hospital to protect
the patients from crows.
51. The proprietors of Panga, Kachukata and Darwani
fairs
contributed Rs. 372, Rs. 52-5 and Rs. 500, respectively, for the
improvement of veterinary aid in the Rangpur district. It is hoped
that other cattle fair proprietors will be public spirited and make
similar contributions for the benefit of the cattle from the sale of
which they derive income.
52. The Hospital at Naogaon with quarters for the Veterinary
Assistant Surgeon was nearing completion at the end of the year.
Part III.—Breeding Operations.
53. Table VIII shows the number of stud bulls serving at
present in the various districts of this Province. The total number
during the year was 188 as against 164 in the year previous.
54. During the year the premium bull system was introduced
whereby a grant of Rs. 10 per month was to be made to owners under
certain conditions for the maintenance of bulls to be approved by the
Agricultural Department. Thirteen bulls under this system were
placed in the district of Malda. It is hoped this system may prove
successful.
Fairs and Shows.
55. Tables XIII and XIV give particulars of the fairs and shows
held during the year.
56. The majority of these fairs were attended by Departmental
Officers, who delivered lectures on Veterinary matters and explained
to the people present the methods of treatment of disease and manage-
ment of cattle. They also helped in the selection of animals for the
award of prizes, etc.
57. Owing to lack of apparatus for illustrated lectures assistance
at fairs had to be refused in many cases, but it is hoped that with
the funds now allotted for the purchase of magic lanterns and
accessories it would be possible to increase the scope of both lectures
and lantern demonstrations.
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Bull Breeding and Rearing Farms.
58. There are three such farms in this Province—one each at
Kalimpong, Dacca and Rangpur. The first is managed by St.
Andrew's Colonial Homes and the last two by the Agricultural
Department.
59. Rangpur.—Hæmorrhagic
septicæmia
and
blackquarter
appeared on the farm and took a toll of altogether 12 animals.
There were also 2 eases of death from pnuemonia in calves.
Three hundred and ninteen head of cattle were protected against
Hæmorrhagic septicæmia and 117 against blackquarter by the local
Stationary Assistant Surgeon, who also attended and treated all other
animals suffering from general diseases.
60. Kalimpong.—Only one death from anthrax was reported
from this farm. The disease was confirmed by bacteriological
examination and the herd protected by anti-serum by the local
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon. A disease which at present can only
be called hæmaturia has again been prevalent on the farm and in the
district.
This is another disease which calls for research: its nature is still
unknown and therefore cure and prevention cannot be undertaken.
It appears to be of a chronic nature causing loss of condition and
utility and eventually death. So far it has only been detected among
cattle of the Darjeeling district.
61. Manipur (Dacca).—Blackquarter broke out amongst farm
cattle and three animals died, but the disease subsided after preven-
tive inoculation was undertaken by the local Veterinary Assistant
Surgeon.
Horse and Pony Stallion.
62. There was no horse or pony stallion in this Province.
Tables X, XI and XII are therefore blank.
Part IV.—Subordinate Staff.
63. Table VII shows the strength of the subordinate staff
employed in the Province during the year.
64. Several vacancies occurred in the cadre of Veterinary Assist-
ant Surgeons due to the deputation of two officers (Babus H. K. Bose
and A. K. Roy) to the Agricultural Department as also to the grant of
leave without pay for one year to Babu S. K. Chaudhury to take up the
post of Veterinary Inspector at Mukteswar. Further vacancies were
caused by the appointment of Babu N. N. Banerjee to the post of
Second Assistant Superintendent, Zoological Garden, Alipore, and
the removal of Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Babu S. K. Roy from
service.
65. Towards the close of the year Government were addressed to
accord their sanction to the re-creation of the post of Itinerant
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon for the Serampore subdivision, which
had been abolished at the instance of the District Board of Hooghly
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owing to their financial stringency during 1924-25. Sanction was
also asked for regarding the retention for a further period of one year
till 31st March 1930 of the post of Itinerant Veterinary Assistant
Surgeon at Kakdwip as well as for the permanent deputation of a
third Veterinary Assistant Surgeon for the Coach Behar State and the
entertainment of a substitute in his place.
66. The District Board of Burdwan moved, through the Divi-
sional Commissioner, for the withdrawal of the two additional posts
of Itinerant Veterinary Assistant Surgeon created during the year
1927-28. The matter was under the consideration of Government till
the close of the year.
Part V.—General Remarks.
67. Demonstration Train.—For the third year in succession the
Eastern Bengal Railway Authorities organised, during the latter part
of January and the beginning of February, a travelling exhibition
over portions of their line carrying cinema and other requisite
paraphernalia of propaganda and instruction, besides a very well-
trained staff of men who were in charge of the exhibits, the signifi-
cance of which they explained in short talks in the demonstration
cars and in lectures at public meetings. There was a new departure
this year in that the train travelled over portions of the metre gauge
section, in the previous years places served by this section could not be
visited.
This department took part in this propaganda tour, which was
very successful and attracted large crowds at every halt. This
method of propaganda should be repeated and extended. I would
like to see permanent trains for broad and metre gauge lines both
running for several months a year : also small steamers fitted up to
carry on this work in river districts.
68. Veterinary Assistant Surgeons on military duty.—The long-
delayed concessions to Veterinary Assistant Surgeons who undertook
liability for general military service outside India during the Great
War were given effect to during this year and three officers (Babus
S. L. Sen, U. N. Sarkar and A. M. Ghose) were permitted to count
the period of their approved service in military employ as double for
increment under their time-scale of pay in this department.
69. The year under report has been a discouraging one in that it
has not been possible for financial reasons to give effect to any of the
schemes of progress administratively approved by Government, viz.,
(a) Free supply of serum, (b) increase in the number of staff Veteri-
nary Assistant Surgeons, (c) propaganda, and (d) the subdivision of
the Province into three ranges, all of which are urgently needed.
Difficulty has again been experienced as a result of the present system
of dual control of the contagious disease staff. Further schemes for
improvement of the department are ready for submission, one of the
most urgent being the appointment of a Research Officer. Without
such an officer this province is not in a position to co-operate with the
Agricultural Research Council and may therefore lose much of the
benefit of its establishment.