8
REPORT ON THE CIVIL VETERINARY DEPARTMENT (INCLUDING THE INSEIN
The Assistant employed in the school having been designated Assistant
Instructor has not been included in the above list.
Two Assistants died during the year and one retired from service owing to
continued ill-health, mental trouble.
Six pupils who had failed in the practical examination in the previous year
were posted to districts—one in April, two in July and three in September.
Four Senior Assistants were called in during the year to undergo training
as Inspectors, and ten deserving Assistants were promoted as acting Inspectors.
The Forest Department having asked for the services of some Veterinary
Assistants, sanction has been applied for lending them seven Assistants and one
Veterinary Inspector. In the meantime one Assistant has already been allowed
to join the department towards the close of the year (18th March 1920).
Three Assistants are still employed on military service out of Burma.
Below is noted the number of Assistants sent on special duty together with
the names of the districts :—
Akyab 2, Sandoway 5, Kyaukpyu 1, Pegu 2, Prome 3, Bassein 2, Ma-ubin
1, Pyap6n 2, Toungoo 2, Thatôn 1, Pakôkku 3, Minbu 1, Magwe 2, Shwebo 1,
Yamèthin 5 ; total 33.
The average number of days spent on tour by Veterinary Assistants in
Lower Burma was 237.1 and 217.9 in Upper Burma. They visited 18,188
villages in Lower and 16,253 in Upper Burma ; 2,108 outbreaks were attended by
them in Lower Burma and 2,079 in Upper Burma. The Assistants in Lower
Burma treated 42,781 animals and those in Upper Burma 43,652.
VI.—GENERAL REMARKS.
13. Cattle Disease.—The huge mortality figures for contagious diseases in
the province during the year under review are the resultant of conditions which
have already been demonstrated. The Province has suffered lightly for some
time past from epidemics of contagious cattle disease and in consequence the
number of highly susceptible animals must have become a very large one. Such
being the case it was necessary that the machinery for controlling disease, should
such appear, should be as perfect as possible. This I am afraid is just where
we fail. For years it has been the work of this department ably seconded by
the efforts of all district officials to impress on cattle owners the need for careful
observation of the rules for prevention of spread of contagious cattle diseases.
Much advance has been made in many districts, but it is regrettable to record
that in only too many instances the population still show a very marked indiffer-
ence to the subject, and often indeed do all they can to help disease along.
Under such conditions, that is, if the people themselves will not carry out certain
safeguards, it is necessary that someone should do it for them. The staff of this
department has been very largely increased during recent years, but I trust 1 may
be excused for again making reference to this matter when I say that until the
people bestir themselves, not merely in isolated cases, but all over the country in
the prevention of these scourges, it is necessary for this department to maintain
a staff sufficiently large to permit of each member of that staff having charge of
an area in which he can exercise the supervision which is at present demanded.
14. Segregation Rules.—That a great deal of laxity still exists in the obser-
vance of the rules cannot be denied as even if the existing rules, which admit-
tedly are not so strict as they should be, are carried out at the very beginning,
much can be achieved by way of checking the spread of disease if not entirely
stopping it. Disease is said to have been introduced into at least three districts
during the year from neighbouring townships or districts by cartmen, viz. Pakôkku,
Thayetmyo and Minbu, but it may safely be said that in a majority of cases, and
outbreak reports of Veterinary Assistants verify this statement, disease is carried
from one village to another by free movement of cattle either under the mistaken
idea of saving their cattle from other diseased animals in the village, or with the
deliberate intention of making what money the owner can by selling in-contact
animals. There is again the ever present source of infection from herds of cattle
owned by Indians and I cannot do better than quote the remarks of the Deputy