4
of Government has been received to purchase an oil engine and a second
centrifugal machine, and it is hoped that the next year's output will be
larger.
26. Before any anti-rinderpest serum is issued from this laboratory, it is
carefully tested as to its protective power. For this purpose animals are
procured from the hills, Kumaun Division, and plains from the Bareilly
District. As some doubt existed as to the protective power of the serum
forwarded to the Jullunder and Hoshiarpur districts in July last, I suggested
that the Superintendents, Civil Veterinary Department, of each Province should
obtain a certain number of each breed of cattle found in their districts, and
submit them in turn to experiment, first by the simultaneous method, and
second by the serum alone method, in order to ascertain the doses of anti-
rinderpest serum required to protect such different breeds. Otherwise, a few
selected animals of each breed might be conveyed to the Imperial Bacteriolo-
gical Laboratory Depôt at Bareilly as opportunity offers, and there submitted
to the above tests.
It must be remembered that in a vast continent like India, all breeds do
not present the same degree of susceptibility to rinderpest as evidenced by
the experience gained at Muktesar with regard to plains and hill animals.
From information received, it would appear that animals located on lands
adjoining large rivers are more susceptible and suffer from a more virulent
form of rinderpest than those which are situated at a distance from such
water.
27. During the year, it was decided by Government to train Veterinary
Assistants of different District Boards, etc., at this Laboratory, (1) in the
general principles of serum therapeutics, especially with regard to rinderpest;
(2) bleeding of animals for virulent blood; (3) defibrinating blood; (4) pre-
servation of virulent blood; (5) practical sterilisation of instruments, etc.; (6)
manipulation of Koch's syringe.
During December last, two Veterinary Assistants, Kotu Ram from Feroze-
pur District Board and Agha Ali from Ulwar State, reported their arrival, and
have now passed through the course. Accommodation is now provided at
Muktesar for the continuous reception of four Veterinary Assistants at a time
and their course is fixed for three months. Theoretically they are taught the
principles of different immunising (rinderpest) methods, in addition to the
practical course laid down for them as mentioned above. When trained, these
Veterinary Assistants are the men who at a later date we shall have to rely
upon to perform the preventive inoculations in the field under the supervision
of their respective Veterinary Superintendents.
28. New Laboratory Buildings.—The destruction of the Laboratory by
fire is to be deplored, but a Phœnix has arisen from its ashes, and the new
building is even superior to the old one, minor defects having been remedied.
The Lieutenant-Governor of these Provinces, Sir Antony MacDonnell, has
taken great interest in the restoration and the building, which will be in
two or three months complete and ready for occupation.
29. The land surrounding the building has proved sufficiently adapted to
the purposes for which it is required ; and it is doubtful whether anywhere
but in the hills such suitable conditions could be found. In the plains, on
the other hand, the soil, air and water are at certain seasons liable to com-
plicate experiments by infecting the test animals with other diseases, while
surrounding cattle may communicate epidemics, per contra, the cattle
inoculated on the Bacteriological estate must be isolated from private cattle.
The experience of this year during which laboratory experiments have
been more continuously worked at than in any previous year, has proved
that the Muktesar climate is sufficiently suitable for Bacteriological work
and that my view that a high elevation in the Himalayas . would be prefer-
able to artificially cooled rooms in the plains has been justified. Having
had experience at Poona, my conclusion may be of some service to the Medical
Department when considering schemes for Bacteriological establishments.
V.—The machinery now existing and required for work in the field.
30. The necessity of such an agency is obvious. I have during the past
year in connection with the Veterinary Department made arrangements for
training a few members of the Civil Veterinary Staff. At the present time the