NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
53
Mr. Ware stated that the difficulties which Mr. Cameron had
enumerated as applying to Burma seemed to be often very formid-
able in Madras. For example, no mortality rate had been returned
in goats in that province, although the goat population seemed to
be innumerable. The mortality from anthrax recorded among
other animals in Madras seemed to be larger than the total
mortality from this disease in all the other provinces put together.
Mr. Cameron further said that he had not observed any anthrax
in goats in Burma. He had explained the system of reporting,
but when sudden deaths occurred among goats they were attri-
buted by the owners of the animals to sun-stroke, snake bite, or
some other condition.
Mr. Farbrother stated that he had experience of the outbreak of
anthrax referred to by Mr. Edwards which had actuated the Gov-
ernment of India to take action in regard to legislation. He could
not discover anthrax organisms in that suspected outbreak. In
Bombay, anthrax was practically never reported except in cattle.
Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchinson mentioned, however, that the
incidence of sheep anthrax in Sind was of such importance that
it had attracted most peculiar attention.
Mr. Farbrother said that during his experience in Sind he had
confirmed the presence of anthrax in all classes of animals except
goats. Further, he pointed out the difficulty of controlling anthrax
on account of the existence of the Native States all around the
borders of Sind.
Mr. Hewlett stated that in Bombay the disease had come to
his notice in horses, cattle and dogs.
Mr. Kerr from his experience in Bengal said that the disease
appeared to be comparatively rare, but no dependence could be
placed on the reports received as the owners were not perturbed
over deaths involving only two or three animals. In fact, the
poor type of animal kept in this province succumbed so frequently
from exhaustion or overwork that a sporadic case of anthrax
would stand no chance of being reported. One of the main difficul-
ties about reporting was that owners did not place much value on
their cattle and if they died the owners were prepared to cut their
losses quickly and report the death as due to a series of conditions
covered by one generic vernacular name, and hence the veterinary
authorities could not be enlightened in any manner with regard
to the true incidence of anthrax.
Mr. Krishna Murthi stated that in the city of Madras a number
of outbreaks had been known to occur and were all reported. A
system of reporting had been adopted. In the case of hides
54
intended for export, samples amounting to six hides from each
consignment were chosen by the exporting firm at random and
were sent to the laboratory for bacteriological examination. The
system of examination was guinea-pig inoculation, as this was
deemed to be the only reliable method. No cases had been
encountered during the past five years while this method had been
adopted. The examination was undertaken with a view to giving
a certificate. The hides had to be certified to have been collected
from districts that were free from anthrax. The speaker detailed
the method of bacteriological examination.
Mr. MacGregor inquired what steps were recommended by the
International Committee for the sterilization of bone-meal and
whether it should be sterilized as bone-meal or raw bones.
Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchinson stated that there were several
methods that could be adopted. For bones which were used for
glue the latter were boiled for 15 minutes in water at 120°C., four
hours in water at 180ºF. or steeped for a minimum of 24 hours
in milk of lime or in concentrated hydrochloric acid for 48 hours.
Mr. MacGregor wondered whether the digestion at 50 pound
pressure was necessary as this had been insisted upon in the case
of bone-meal exported from Bengal to New Zealand. A process
involving 25 pounds pressure for two hours was also recommended.
Mr. Branford asked Colonel Hutchinson if there was any
evidence of wool sorter's disease in India.
Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchinson stated that no evidence had
hitherto been obtained of this disease. The only evidence avail-
able was in regard to three cases that had occurred in jails. He
considered that the system of reporting deaths among human
subjects in India was not so inefficient as is generally supposed.
The reporting authority was the village officer and he reported the
death according to the most prominent symptom. A Registration
Manual containing simple instructions in regard to the symptoms
was issued to each officer giving just the prominent symptoms
of the familiar diseases. In order to demonstrate the reliability
of this method it was stated that in regard to measles, for example,
which was a very common disease, when he had examined the
statistics obtained from the registers of the village officers, the age
incidence of mortality from this affection corresponded exactly
to the age incidence reported in civilized countries. This was a
very striking point.
Mr. Branford considered that the evidence which had been
adduced in the course of the discussion in regard to the necessity
of training the personnel to control this disease had made a very
55
strong case for the institution of a four years' course of training,
for the Veterinary Assistants could not be depended upon to diagnose
the disease.
Mr. Quinlan stated that in Bihar the position was much the
same as in other provinces. The village chowkidar was the report-
ing agency and it was difficult to get from him information quickly
enough. The whole question resolved itself into one of providing
an adequate staff. It must be pointed out to the Government
very clearly the absolute necessity of providing an efficient veteri-
nary staff, otherwise it would not be possible to carry out
the recommendations of the International Committee. It ought
to be laid down as the considered opinion of the meeting that this
aspect should be put before the Government of India in the
strongest terms and should be explained before the International
Board of Agriculture and the Geneva Convention. This problem
must be adequately solved first of all if we were to be considered
in a position to carry out the instructions of industrial countries.
Mr. Wilson stated that in the Central Provinces no knowledge
with regard to anthrax could be obtained unless the disease occurred
among animals in some of the Government institutions. Elsewhere
the occurrence of deaths was not reported promptly enough. On
Government farms outbreaks had been dealt with most effectively
by serum inoculations. No regulations could be enforced in the
province without adequate staff.
Mr. Hickey stated that in the United Provinces single cases were
not reported, for it often happened that the Veterinary Assistant
might arrive at the scene of the outbreak 10 days after the death
had occurred. Anthrax was only diagnosed when blood films
were sent to him for examination from the local authorities.
Mr. Harris stated that in Assam the disease occurred sporadi-
cally but uniformly throughout the province; and on some tea
gardens, a few coolies had been infected by handling carcases. The
local authorities had used Muktesar serum successfully for the
treatment of these men. There was no reporting agency in Assam
and the knowledge he had obtained with regard to the disease
was derived from the reports of the Veterinary Assistants them-
selves. He mentioned that in his province there was no agency
which would be capable of carrying out any legislative measures.
A large part of the country was water-logged and measures for the
proper disposal of carcases would be difficult to undertake.
Mr. Branford emphasized the importance of studying sheep
diseases. Hitherto sheep had not been considered important
enough, but he had found that when there had been outbreaks
56
of anthrax among cattle at Hissar the disease had likewise affected
the sheep at the same time.
Colonel Pallin said that he had received no report of anthrax
among military animals during the past year while he had been
A. D. V. S. to the Eastern Command. Twenty years ago, however,
while he was stationed at Meerut he had experience of an outbreak
of anthrax among the artillery horses.
During the previous year the disease had also occurred among
these horses and he took pains to trace the origin of the outbreak,
and after taking the usual precautions he fixed on some stacks
of hay which the artillery horses used to have in those days, and
which were procured from the same place and made up of grass
brought in by the grass cutters. It was concluded that the butts
of these stacks were the source of infection. The stacks were burnt
to the ground and no further trouble was caused. In 1902, about
the same time, his attention was called to the sudden deaths of
horses in the Viceroy's bodyguard at Dehra Dun. When he got
to the stables he discovered that five horses there were already
dead and five more were on the point of dying. Thus ten animals
out of 110 became affected. The source of infection was traced to
the green grass brought in by the grass cutters which was found
to have been cut from the banks of a river into which carcases were
usually thrown. On his recommendation no further supplies of
grass were brought in from this area, and no further cases of disease
occurred. A considerable amount of disease was caused and spread
by throwing carcases into the beds of rivers.
Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchinson further emphasized that the
country was at present faced either with heavy expenditure in
setting up methods of disinfection, which would be quite unpro-
ductive or with what would also admittedly be a heavy expendi-
ture upon controlling disease in live-stock, which nevertheless
would connote an improvement in live-stock, so that this
expenditure would be productive. Unless steps were taken to
eradicate the disease the export trade might suffer.
In reply to Mr. Hewlett he stated that compulsory legislation
might be advocated by the International Labour Conference to
meet in 1924 and admitted that eradication could not immediately
follow the enforcement of legislation.
Mr. Kerr raised the question as to the susceptibility of goats
to anthrax. He was under the impression that they were more
resistant than the other domestic animals.
Mr. Edwards said that, in his experience recently at Muktesar,
he found that certain strains of anthrax proved to be extremely
57
virulent upon experimentation with goats, whereas other strains
which had been kept in the laboratory for some time proved of
very low virulence for all classes of animals. There was some
evidence available pointing to the existence of strains of relatively
low virulence among infected animals in the field.
Mr. Ware stated that fairly recently a shipment of goats
amounting to 500 head that had been sent from Madras to Colombo
suffered a 50 per cent. mortality from anthrax on arrival at Colombo.
Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchinson stated that 510 goats were
found to have succumbed to anthrax at one of the slaughter houses
at Colombo.
Mr. Smith stated that he had experience in buying sheep and
goats for Government for export to Mesopotamia during the war.
A large number of the sheep and goats had succumbed to anthrax.
The Chairman stated the discussion had now resolved itself
into a consideration of the subject under three heads: (1) the
prevalence of the disease; (2) the necessity for research; (3) the
institution of preventive measures. With regard to the first of these
heads, it had been brought out in the discussion that the disease
was extremely virulent and it was fully realized that a large
quantity of anthrax-infected material went out of India. A large
number of the diseases scheduled in the returns under the heading
of hæmorrhagic septicæmia was undoubtedly anthrax. When
"hæmorrhagic septicæmia" received a separate column in the
returns, some deaths were probably included which were in reality
anthrax. He still favoured the view that indigenous animals in
this country were probably possessed of a large degree of immunity
and became infected with the latent form of disease. Secondly,
on account of this relative immunity, the mortality did not
correspond with the enormously high proportion of infected material
represented in the figures for the export returns. Wool and hides
were most likely infected from a small proportion that had died
from the disease. He thus contended that much further research
into this question was necessary. Thirdly, with regard to legisla-
tion, it would be necessary to discuss this question later on under
subject III (a). A resolution would probably be drafted to cover
the peculiar requirements of this disease. However, as had been
pointed out by Mr. Edwards, the problem of anthrax afforded a
concrete example which indicated the necessity for the application
of such measures. In India the state of the country with regard
to legislation for the control of animal disease was almost as bad
as it could be. Obviously the first necessity in connection with
the control of the disease was to institute compulsory notification,
but this problem was difficult. In some provinces there was
58
maintained a register of deaths. At least such was his experience
in Bombay and in the Punjab. At the present time it was un-
likely that we could proceed very far in regard to notification.
In anthrax there were no prominent symptoms, and the symptoms
presented by cases of infection due to acute hæmorrhagic septicæmia
were to a layman almost exactly similar. Sir John Moore had
thought that notification could be enforced and likewise that com-
pulsory segregation could be effected by orders from the Deputy
Commissioner or by means of the police agency. However, there
seemed to be insuperable difficulties in the way of enforcing segre-
gation measures in general. The first and essential necessity was,
however, that there must be available a sufficiently highly trained
veterinary staff.
Mr. Kerr also maintained that, in order to carry out effectively
any veterinary police measures, an additional veterinary staff was
imperative. Legislative measures should, however, be uniform
in their application, but this was not possible with the Provincial
Services, particularly when the control of the subordinate veterinary
personnel in the Provincial Service was in the hands of District
Boards, with a Chairman who held office for a comparatively short
period and had no permanent or predominant interest in this kind
of work.
A resolution, the terms of which were drafted by a sub-committee
consisting of Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchinson, Messrs. Branford and
Smith and Major Stirling, with Mr. Edwards as Secretary, was
subsequently unanimously passed by the meeting:—
Resolution II (a)
(1) The evidence available shows that anthrax is a serious
disease of live-stock in India and is much more prevalent
than the official records would indicate.
(2) The Conference, having considered in detail the incidence
of anthrax among animals in India and men handling
animal products in other countries and the economic
issues resulting therefrom, resolved:—
(i) that as the spread of infection is not limited by geogra-
phical and provincial boundaries, measures directed
against the dissemination of the disease both in India
and to and from India from other countries should
be considered a central subject;
(ii) that disinfection of animal products, while throwing
a great financial burden on industry, will accomplish
nothing towards the eradication of the disease in
animals and thereby improving the condition of stock
in India;
59
(iii) that the only sure way of dealing with the situation,
and at the same time of lasting economic benefit to
the country, is by making a persistent effort to prevent
the spread of infection among animals, and thereby
to secure the control and ultimate eradication of the
disease.
The success of any measure designed with these objects will depend
upon
(i) efforts to improve the agency for notification,
(ii) an increase in numbers of the veterinary personnel of all
grades consistent with the work which has to be done,
(iii) improved facilities for the education of the veterinary
personnel recruited in India in the problems connected
with the control of epizootic diseases,
(iv) legislation (see resolution under Subject III a).
SUBJECT II (b).-RINDERPEST. To REVIEW THE EXPERIENCE
ALREADY GAINED AS TO THE RELATIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE
"SERUM SIMULTANEOUS" AND "SERUM ALONE" METHODS
OF INOCULATION IN INDIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES.
The Chairman stated that at the first meeting held at Lahore
in 1919 there was a strong feeling among the members that the
simultaneous method might be adopted more generally, and
a resolution which he read was passed to that effect. Since then
Messrs. Pool and Doyle had published a Memoir in which they
indicated the very fleeting immunity conferred by "serum
alone" and they commended the advantages of the simultaneous
method. He believed it would be a great advantage if this method
of inoculation could be performed generally on young animals,
under a year old, before they became very valuable.
Mr. Quirke said that he had put forward this question in order
to find out what was the experience obtained in the districts with
regard to the simultaneous method. He considered that it was
undoubtedly the better method if it was practicable in the districts.
They were always ready to progress in this direction in his province
if they were sure of the means. In the Punjab it would be
possible to introduce the method at first on the Government farms
but he was not clear as to the efficacy or safety of the method at
present.
Mr. Hewlett stated that in his considered opinion the wide-
spread use of "serum alone" in combating the disease was fore-
60
doomed to wastage in time and money on account of the fleeting
immunity conferred by this method and its uselessness when applied
to animals already infected. This wastage was particularly accen-
tuated on account of the conditions which obtained in the districts
where outbreaks occurred. The veterinary staff had no means
of enforcing inoculation and preventing the movement of animals
in the scene of an outbreak or to ensure the mixing of the inoculated
animals with infected cattle in order to give them opportunities
of direct infection and thereby secure active immunity. Having
all these facts in mind he thought that the present method of
inoculating serum alone was not really doing much good. He
considered that this question should be earnestly discussed by the
officers from the provinces.
Mr. Quinlan stated that in Bihar the only place in which the
simultaneous method had hitherto been adopted was at the Govern-
ment cattle farm where about 150 cattle had been inoculated by
this method and no deaths had occurred therefrom among them.
It would be, however, in the present conditions quite impossible
to apply the methods to the cattle in districts where the population
was largely Hindu, unless great changes took place in the attitude
of the people towards inoculation. Where the owners of animals
were Mohammedan in religion, the method would be more easy
of application, as they would not resent the taking of blood for the
virus inoculation to such a degree. As regards the so-called "serum
alone" method, it was admitted that it had limitations and so far
as his own experience went, he was emphatic that the owners
believed that it did a considerable amount of good and that large
numbers of cattle were saved. In fact, villagers now came forward
and asked for their cattle to be inoculated as a preventive measure,
when they feared an impending outbreak. These villagers who
sought for inoculation were mainly Mohammedan and members
of co-operative societies, where these societies were in existence.
Mr. Branford stated that the problem which confronted them
in the districts was twofold: first of all, what form of inoculation
to adopt in the face of an outbreak, and, secondly, what form of
inoculation to adopt as a preventive measure. In the Punjab the
disease seemed to be spread largely by the movement of animals
to and from fairs and it was not impossible to prevent the spread
in these circumstances. In the neighbourhood of Hissar there
had only been three outbreaks of rinderpest in the course of 12
years and he had successfully treated his cattle with "serum
alone" as a preventive measure on these occasions. He believed
that in the face of an outbreak the simultaneous method would
be more effective, but he thought that there was great risk of.
61
setting up a focus of infection in carrying out the simultaneous
inoculation if the virus was introduced into a locality where the
disease did not already exist. When rinderpest had occurred at
Hissar, the cattle were not removed on account of the danger
of infection to the neighbouring cattle.
Khan Saheb Sheikh Naiz Mohammed stated that he believed
that the system of double inoculation could be gradually adopted
in the United Provinces and a start might be made with cattle
belonging to Government institutions and District Boards.
Colonel Pallin stated: "During 1920 the Government of India
decided to adopt the serum simultaneous method of inoculation
against rinderpest as a general measure for all Government bullocks
and Government dairy farm cattle. Having only returned to this
country last February after an absence of several years I am not
quite au fait with the results obtained throughout India during
the first two years during which the Army Veterinary Service has
adopted the serum simultaneous method of inoculation against
rinderpest for Government animals, but I am informed that on
the whole the results obtained were very satisfactory. However,
in view of the fact that it is stated that the mortality following
on the serum simultaneous method of inoculation against rinder-
pest should not be more than 0.8 per cent., [Pool and Doyle] I
am greatly concerned at the high rate of mortality which has oc-
curred amongst the Government dairy farm cattle during the present
cold weather, particularly at Allahabad and Sitapore, which farms
came under my veterinary administration. At the former place
39 Government dairy farm young stock and five imported bulls
belonging to an American Mission were inoculated during November
last with the following results:—
Class of animal
Imported bulls
.
.
.
.
.
Young stock, more than half imported blood
Young stock, half and less than half.
Young stock, buffaloes
.
.
.
.
TOTAL .
Inoculated
5
15
8
16
44
Died
5
10
nil
nil
15
Percentage
of mortality
100
66
nil
nil
34
E