REVENUE
DEPARTMENT.
AGRICULTURE.
DARJEELING, THE 8TH SEPTEMBER 1910.
RESOLUTION—No. 1403T.—R.
READ —
The Annual Reports of the Veterinary College and of the Civil Veterinary
Department, Bengal, for the year 1909-10.
COLONEL RAYMOND was Principal of the Bengal Veterinary College
throughout the year, and during the absence of Mr. Quinlan on leave from
19th August to 18th December 1909 he held charge of the office of Superin-
tendent, Civil Veterinary Department, in addition to his own duties.
2. Bengal Veterinary College.—The number of students at the commence-
ment of the session was 162, but 30 of these did not continue their studies
throughout the year; of the balance, 48 came from Bengal, 16 from Bihar,
3 from Orissa, 53 from Eastern Bengal and Assam, and 12 from other
provinces. The results of the final examination were satisfactory, the
percentage of passes being 86.48. The uniformly satisfactory result from
year to year reflects great credit on Colonel Raymond and his staff. The
conduct and general health of the students were good. It has been arranged
by the Medical Department that the college hostels shall in future be under
the charge of the medical officer of the Eastern Bengal State Railway Hospital
which is nearer to the college than the Cossipore Hospital. During the year
it was found possible to complete the long-deferred project of building a new
house for the Assistant Principal, and his former quarters have been converted
into a sick bay where students will be nursed under the eye of the
Principal. A football and cricket ground has been provided, and a gymnasium
instructor engaged. Lack of funds again stopped the progress of the larger
projects in connection with the institution.
3. College Hospital.—During
the year under report 5,680 cases were
treated as compared with 5,144 during the previous year. The increase of
536 is satisfactory. It is a matter for satisfaction that there are indications
that the competition of private practitioners in the town, many of whom are
old college students, is affecting the number of cases treated at the hospital.
4. The administration of the Glanders and Farcy Act in Calcutta and its
vicinity was conducted smoothly and efficiently. The equine population of
Calcutta and vicinity including European horse-dealers' stables, is estimated at
15,000, and the stables under the supervision of Colonel Raymond and his staff
numbered about 4,000, all of which were inspected. In 54 stables cases of
glanders were detected. The total number of cases admitted to the contagious
diseases hospital was 420. In 90 cases the animals were destroyed, in 8 cases
they died in hospital; 315 animals were discharged, and 7 remained under
observation at the close of the year.
5. The system of compensating poor people whose horses are destroyed
under the Glanders and Farcy Act, and of paying a small fee to persons who
give information of outbreaks of diseases which come under the operations of
the Act, continued to give satisfactory results. There was no case of friction
with the owners of horses.
6. With the sanction of the Chairman of the Calcutta Corporation
Colonel Raymond has undertaken the management of outbreaks of infectious
disease amongst cattle in Calcutta, and this work is being carried on sue
cessfully by the staff. In Calcutta and suburbs 2,443 cattle were inoculated
against rinderpest.
7. Raymond Research Laboratory.—This
institution, which is now fully
equipped with up-to-date instruments, is doing excellent work in diagnosing
contagious and obscure diseases in cases admitted into the hospital or from
materials sent by veterinary officers from the mufassal.
8. Civil Veterinary Department—Diseases.—Better
arrangements were made
during the year for collecting information regarding deaths of animals from
contagious diseases, although the figures cannot yet be said to be satisfactory.
The Inspector-General of Police issued orders that careful records of outbreaks
should be kept at all thanas, and also that veterinary assistants should be
permitted to inspect the registers so that a check might be placed on the
returns. The total mortality reported among horses and cattle was 386 and