3
It is interesting to speculate on what would have occurred in Kistna if the
mobile corps or some such extra staff of inoculators had not been available to work
there, while the disease was repeatedly being reported from several places at the
same time.
In numerous cases it was demonstrated that the disease was introduced into a
village by animals returning from grazing areas, in most instances in Hyderabad,
and as fast as it was stamped out by inoculation in one batch of villages it would be
reported from others.
This state of things accounts for the large number of inoculations carried out in
Kistna, for of the total number returned for this district, 21,884 were performed by
the members of the mobile corps.
That corps was formed in June 1912. and consisted of six Assistants under the
senior Inspector in the department M.R.Ry. K. Kailasam Aiyar.
It began operations in Rāmnād district where it performed 1,493 inoculations,
but in August it was found necessary to move it to Kistna, where, with the exception
of about three weeks in Guntur, in which district 1,215 inoculations were carried out
by its members, it remained until the close of the year.
Practically all the rinderpest reported from Godāvari district occurred in
Bhadrāchalam division, where it was not possible to carry out as much preventive
inoculation as could be desired for several reasons, the chief of which being the
remoteness and inaccessibility of this part of the district from the head-quarters of
the Veterinary Assistant responsible for it. It has since been decided to post a
separate Veterinary Assistant to this division.
A glance at the distribution of the disease is most instructive showing how
closely it has followed the movements of cattle from the Native States, Hyderabad and
Mysore, to British territory, either on their return from grazing or for purposes of sale.
Gōdāvari and Kistna have already been mentioned, while at the end of the year
under report a rather alarming outbreak occurred in Bellary and to a less degree in
Kurnool.
The only other districts affected to any extent during the year were those on
the West Coast and in the south especially Rāmnād.
The West Coast districts obtain all their working bullocks from Mysore, while
there is a constant stream of animals from this State, which includes a part of the
Alambadi breeding tract, towards the south. The Veterinary Inspectors of the III
and IV Circles, consisting of the districts of Cuddapah, Chittoor, Salem, North and
South Arcot, Chingleput, Nellore, and Tanjore report that no rinderpest occurred in
their districts, except a little in the two last-mentioned, throughout the year. That
occurring in Tanjore is probably explained by the passage of cattle, towards
Negapatam, from which many are exported to the Straits Settlements.
Anthrax.—A slight decrease of mortality is again reported under this head.
In a further endeavour to confirm the returns of village headmen in the case of this
disease it was brought to light, as had been suspected before, that there is a
considerable amount of confusion amongst ryots between the symptoms of this disease
and Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia, and this has been aggravated up to the present by an
injudicious use of the vernacular names of the two diseases in the cattle mortality
registers maintained in each village. The headings in these registers are now under
revision and it is hoped that when the new stock is supplied to villages there will
be less inaccuracy in the registration. Nellore and Kurnool appear to have suffered
most from this disease, while Gōdāvari, Kistna, Cuddapah, South Arcot, Tanjore
and Malabar also report a considerable number of deaths.
Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia.— A slight increase in the number of deaths from
this disease is reported, but with the exception of Guntūr and Nellore it did not do
much damage. It is possible that the general increase indicates more correct report
ing, deaths from this disease being recorded in their proper place instead of under
anthrax. It was still found impossible to persuade any ryots to have their animals
vaccinated, the chief stumbling block in the way being the difficulty experienced in
obtaining perfect segregation, which is essential if the vaccination is to be carried