File No. 108 of
1902.
Serial No. 2.
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND AGRICULTURE.
Simla, the 25th August 1902.
No. 21-Civil Veterinary Administration.
Resolution by the Government of India, Department of Revenue and Agriculture.
READ—
Letter from the Inspector General, Civil Veterinary Department, No. 154-209
R. & A., dated 8th July 1902, forwarding the Annual Report of the Imperial
Bacteriologist for the year 1901-1902.
Letter to the Director General, Indian Medical Service, No. 862—49-1, dated 19th
March 1901.
Letter to the Director General, Indian Medical Service, No. 3234—108-2, dated
23rd August 1901.
The Imperial Bacteriologist and his staff were mainly occupied during the
year in the manufacture and testing of rinderpest serum. Experiments were con-
tinued with a view to improve the protective quality of the serum produced and
to perfect the process of manufacture. Results obtained at Jacobabad, Madras
and Rangoon, showed that the initial protective value of sera is materially
diminished by exposure to high temperatures. The Government of India have
observed with interest the results of the experiments carried out in different
localities to ascertain the strength of doses required to secure protection in
different breeds of cattle, and hope that Dr. Lingard will continue his researches
in this direction, and that he will submit in due course a special report describing
the result of his further experiments on the best method of obtaining a serum.
2. Further investigations on the subject of Anthrax were brought to a
successful issue in the discovery of a protective serum. Researches were also
carried out in connection with other animal diseases including Lymphangitis
Epizootica, Surra and Paralysis.
3. The Government of India notice with satisfaction the increasing demand
for serum, of which 47,773 doses were issued against 24,232 doses issued last
year. They are gratified to learn the highly successful results obtained in Bengal
by Veterinary Major Raymond and in Burma by Veterinary Captain Evans.
The present report gives no information regarding the results obtained in other
Provinces and the Governor General in Council desires that the work of all
officers should be briefly summarised in future Reports, the detailed results in
each Province being dealt with in the Provincial Veterinary Reports. Under the
scheme recently sanctioned for the enlargement of the Imperial Bacteriological
Laboratory, it is hoped that the output of serum will be increased to 1,00,000 doses
per annum.
4. The scheme for the training of Veterinary Assistants at the Bacteriologi-
cal Laboratory in the inoculation of cattle against rinderpest has been suc-
cessful. During the year under report 55 assistants were trained and all passed.
Of this number Punjab sent 32, Bombay and Sindh 13, and the United Provinces
7. It is hoped that other Provinces, especially Burma and Madras, will see the
advantage of sending assistants to the Laboratory for training.
5. The reports which have been received from time to time show that no
successful results have yet been obtained in any Province from the use of Dr.
Edginton's method of exterminating locusts. It has therefore been decided to
discontinue the issue of the fungus tubes pending the result of further investiga-
tion and experiments, which will be carried out by the Imperial Bacteriologist in
collaboration with the Inspector General of Agriculture.