GOVERNMENT OF BENGAL.
REVENUE DEPARTMENT.
Agriculture Branch.
RAMNA (DACCA), THE 17TH AUGUST 1918.
RESOLUTION—No. 915T.—R.
READ—
The Annual Reports of the Veterinary College and of the Civil Veterinary
Department, Bengal, for the year 1917-18.
LT.-COL. A. SMITH, Principal, Bengal Veterinary College, continued
throughout the year to hold charge of the College as well as of the
office of Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Mr. P. J. Kerr and
Mr. A. W. MacGregor, being still absent on military duty.
As in the
previous year, all touring and inspection work of the department was
performed by Babu Sarat Chandra Pal, Deputy Superintendent, who was
on tour for 94 days. Eight Veterinary Assistants of the department were
on military duty. Mr. R. V. Pillai, Laboratory Assistant of the College,
was temporarily deputed to military duty during the year to bring mules
from China to India. It is reported that his work was most satisfactory.
2. There was an increase in the number of students at the Bengal
Veterinary College during the year, the number on the roll at the end of the
session being 157 as compared with 96, 135 and 148 in the previous three
years. Only one-third of the students are Bengalis ; Upper India, Assam,
Madras, Ceylon and Burma are represented among the other students.
Thirty-one students, of whom 11 only belonged to Bengal, graduated
from the College at the close of the session. All the new graduates have
been employed as Veterinary Assistants ; but the demand for qualified
Veterinary Assistants in this Presidency still exceeds the supply.
3. The report of the Civil Veterinary Department shows a marked
increase in the mortality of animals from contagious diseases during
the year, the total number of deaths reported being 26,486 as against
8,415 in the previous year. The increase is due to abnormally severe
outbreaks of rinderpest in several districts of the Presidency, this disease
being responsible for 21,126 deaths compared with 5,443 in the previous
year.
The mortality was heaviest in the districts of the 24-Parganas,
Noakhali, Rangpur and Bakarganj. The Superintendent remarks that reports
were generally received late and that the majority of deaths took place
before the Veterinary Assistants arrived at the affected localities. The
staff of the department dealt with 365 outbreaks of rinderpest and inocu-
lated 53,124 animals against 161 outbreaks and 20,498 animals in the
preceding year.
The Governor in Council desires to impress upon the
touring officers of the various departments who are required under existing
orders to report outbreaks of cattle-diseases, the urgent need of sending a
report promptly both to the Veterinary Assistant and to the Chairman of the
District or Local Board as soon as they hear of an outbreak.
There were also virulent outbreaks of rinderpest during the year all over
Calcutta and its suburbs, the number being 113 as against 57 in the preced-
ing year. Prompt steps were taken on each occasion to prevent the spread of
the disease and inoculation was performed in 5,518 cases.
4. During the year the Itinerant Veterinary Assistants visited 11,520
villages and treated 67,333 animals as compared with 10,047 villages and
57,462 animals in the previous year.