10
ANNUAL REPORT ON THE CIVIL VETERINARY DEPARTMENT, BURMA,
The 3 Reserve Assistants were as usual kept very busy. The districts in
which they were employed were Hanthawaddy, Bassein (twice), Pakôkku,
Myingyan, and Bhamo (twice). Of these Reserve men Maung Tun Nyet spent
344 days out of headquarters, Maung Po Inn 280 and Maung Pike 256, the aver-
age being 293.3 days. These men have had nearly four years' work as Reserve
Assistants and have done extremely well, but as the work, as stated in former
reports, is not too popular, they were only too glad to be posted-to district charges
at the end of the year. Three Veterinary Assistants from district appointments
have been placed on the Reserve in their stead.
The average number of clays spent on tour by the Inspectors in Lower
Burma was 1957, and 1241 in Upper Burma. They attended 107 outbreaks in
Lower Burma and 124 in Upper Burma.
Table IV.
The Veterinary Assistants in Lower Burma attended 1,914 outbreaks and
visited 11,455 villages, while those in Upper Burma attended 1,280 outbreaks and
9,005 villages were visited by them during the year.
One Assistant was found to have falsified his diary and was accordingly fined,
while in addition his increment has been stopped for three years. Another Assist-
ant was tried for the same offence, but after very careful enquiry into the matter
by the Deputy Commissioner he was acquitted.
One Assistant was placed on
trial by the Police on a charge of cheating and abetment of cheating but was dis-
charged of the offence. A few Assistants were warned or punished for late sub-
mission of diaries or for disregarding the orders of Veterinary Inspectors.
With these exceptions, no unsatisfactory conduct on the part of Veterinary
Assistants has to be reported, and District Officers on the whole report most
favourably on the work done by their men. One Subdivisional Officer remarks
that " There has been co-operation between the Township Officers and the Veteri-
nary Assistants, and the fact that nothing in the nature of resistance has Been
offered to the Veterinary Assistant, while in some . cases he has been actually
assisted by the people, shows that he works with tact, the lack of which is so
often a hindrance to the work of others whose duty it is to persuade jungle people
to adopt precautions against diseases. " The Subdivisional Officer strikes the
keynote of success in the carrying out of such duties as a Veterinary Assistant's
in many places, as undoubtedly as things are at present tact is the essence of
dealing with the real jungle Burman in matters relating to prevention of contagious
disease, and a good deal can be. effected in many places by the exercise of this
quality in the first instance.
V.—EXPENDITURE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
(Vide Tables VI and XIV-A.)
VI.—GENERAL REMARKS.
Table II.
17. Deaths from contagious diseases show a considerable but not alarming
increase, viz., 4,504 in Lower Burma and 4,094 in Upper Burma. Outbreaks
of rinderpest, chiefly those in Minbu District, were solely the cause of the increase
in Upper Burma, but in Lower Burma the deaths from this disease show an increase
of only 2,301 over last year's figures.
18. Segregation Rules.—Rules are in general reported to have been followed
by headmen and villagers. As is only to be expected a. number of cases of
disobedience have been brought to light during the year. From the remarks of
many district officers it would appear that headmen and villagers only begin to
think seriously of following the instructions when disease*has assumed considerable
proportions. In small outbreaks or where only sporadic cases occur, they
evidently do not consider it worth while to take trouble.
The prevention of spread of cattle epidemics in any country where unfenced
cultivation is the rule is a very big problem. To confine the malady to any
definite area in which it makes its appearance is one of the primary objects in
dealing with a contagious disease, and in a country like Burma where no barriers
exist and roads are not always clearly defined the matter loses none of its