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PART I.—IMPERIAL REPORT.
B.—REVENUE SECTION.
V (A).—EQUINE DISEASES.
Glanders and
Farcy.
494. During the year under review, action has been taken under the
Resolution of the Government of India, referred to last year, in which the
Glanders and Farcy Act was made applicable to the whole of India. The
agency by which the Act (Act XX of 1879) is to be worked has been named,
and I anticipate the very best results from this most important measure, as it
will enable each Province to deal with cases of this most fatal disease as they
occur, instead of having to wait, as was frequently done before, and allowing
an affected animal to spread the disease far and wide. This measure, taken in
connection with that for the disinfection of Railway Horse boxes and Cattle
trucks, should have a most beneficial result in preventing the spread of the
disease.
495. During the year under review, in addition to the cases which will be
reported when reviewing the working of the Glanders and Farcy Act in
Bombay, outbreaks were reported in the following Provinces:—
One outbreak in Central Provinces.
Three outbreaks in the North-Western Provinces, viz., 1 in Muttra,
1 in Pertabgarh, and 1 in Dehra.
Four outbreaks in the Punjab, viz., 1 in Simla, 2 in Kangra, and 1 in
Delhi.
One outbreak in Baluchistan.
The outbreak in Central Provinces.—In this case there is a great doubt
as to the exact nature of the disease, as it was not reported to the Superin-
tendent until some time after its occurrence. On its being reported to this
Office, I drew the attention of the Commissioner of Settlements to the omission,
especially as a Veterinary Officer is now posted to these Provinces, who has
been appointed an Inspector under Section 4 of Act XX of 1879, and also a
Veterinary Surgeon for the purposes of Sections 7 and 8 of that Act. The
system of reporting cases of contagious diseases being much more complete in
these Provinces than it has hitherto been, will preclude the possibility of the
recurrence of such an omission, which might lead to serious results, especially
when disease appears in the vicinity of any Cantonment.
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES.
496. A case occurred in the Cantonments of Muttra and is reported by the
Veterinary Officer in charge, Station Veterinary Hospital. In this report I
purpose only dealing with cases which have been brought to light by this
Department, but as bearing on the question of the prevalence of Glanders in the
Arab stables of Bombay, I purpose giving a slight outline of case.
The subject was an Arab pony purchased in Bombay in March 1896, and
until July no suspicious symptoms developed; it, however, was then noticed
that both submaxillary glands were enlarged and subsequently unmistakeable
symptoms of the disease appeared. The Veterinary Officer, in reporting this
case, says:—
"I think it highly probable that the pony in question contracted the disease before leaving the Bombay
stables."
One point is specially brought forward in this case; it is the length of
time during which the disease can exist in a latent form before it develops.
Dehra Dun.
497. As usual, a case was discovered on the Dâk line between Saharunpur,
and Rajpur. Cases are discovered annually on this line, in fact I look upon
this line as a veritable menace to the public, to the Body Guard, where, as lately