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into the Nilgiris several times but the Madras Cattle Disease Act was in force there
throughout the year and this, together with the fact that the people there are more
amenable to control than in the plains, enabled the department to enforce complete
segregation of the infected animals and carry out inoculation of the in-contacts,
thus stamping out each outbreak in a very short time.
The same successful results were obtained during the outbreak which occurred
at Kodaikānal during the year.
26. More inoculations againt this disease would have been performed if serum
could have been obtained from Muktesar in larger quantities. In December 1918,
when the demand from this Presidency was unusually large, the Director of the
Laboratory wrote to say that he would not be able to comply with our indents in
full as many of the coolies working at the Laboratory had run away, on account of
an outbreak of Influenza on the estate.
27. The Superintendent submitted a report to Government, after his visit to
Muktesar, on the question of introducing the "Serum Simultaneous "method of
inoculation into this Presidency and Government have permitted the Superintendent
to carry out inoculation by this method on Government cattle in agricultural farms,
jails, etc., with the previous consent of the head of the department, who will be
acquainted with the risks involved in the method.
28. A severe outbreak of this disease, involving the loss of most of the
Australian and half-bred cattle, occurred at the Coimbatore Agricultural Farm in the
early part of the year under review. A full report on the causes which operated
towards the heavy mortality experienced was made to the Director of Agriculture
and it is understood that this has been communicated to Government.
29. Government have made a by-law under section 18 of the Madras Cattle
Disease Act according to which District Magistrates are empowered to close tempo
rarily all cattle markets and fairs, whether public or private, held in an area in which
the Act is in force, whenever they consider such a course necessary to prevent the
spread of a contagious disease. District Magistrates, during the year under report,
almost invariably took the advice of this department to close cattle fairs occurring in
an affected tract but much of the good, which might have resulted from this, was
frustrated by the people themselves, who in many eases continued to hold the fair in
an adjoining village.
30. In continuation of the remarks made in paragraph 27 of the last report of
this department it was suggested to Government that a small charge should be made
in future for all inoculations performed against rinderpest; the idea being that if
this were done much of the wastage which takes place at present would be avoided,
as only those people having faith in the serum, and therefore willing to produce
their animals for re-inoculation as many times as was necessary, would consent to
inoculation in the first place.
Government have not approved of the proposal but have ordered that only the
cattle of those who give a written promise to produce their animals for reinoculation
whenever required should be inoculated in future.
31. Hæmorrhagic septicaemia.—Only 3,798 deaths were reported from this
disease, compared with 7,962 in the previous year, and only 179 reports were
received instead of 509. The staff attended 135 of the reports received and carried
out 4,968 inoculations in the course of 29 of them.
Chingleput reports the greatest mortality from this disease, but, as usual, the
greatest number of reports, viz., 40, was received from Guntūr.
32. Anthrax.—There is also a large decrease under this head. Instead of 7,691
in 1917—18 only 3,713 deaths were reported during the past year.
Kurnool reports 534 deaths from this disease but only two reports were received
by the staff from that district. Altogether 163 reports were received and 88 of
them attended, as opposed to 304 reports, of which 192 were attended, in the previous
year.
33. Blackquarter.— The number of deaths reported from this disease was 2,953
against 5,483 in the previous year.
The staff received 124 outbreak reports, of which 61 were attended, whereas in
the previous year 375 reports of this disease were received. Chittoor district
supplied 40 reports and Salem 26. Sixteen animals belonging to the Sugar Factory
at Anakapalle were the only animals vaccinated against this disease during the year
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