3
9. Cawnpore, Poona and Nagpore experiments.—In accordance with the
orders of the Government of India conveyed in their letter No. 4070—186-2,
dated 4th December 1901, arrangements were made to carry out experiments
in Cawnpore (United Provinces), Nagpore (Central Provinces) and Poona (Bom-
bay), with a view to ascertain the strength of the doses of anti-rinderpest serum
prepared at Muktesar, which may be most economically used in order to
protect the various breeds of plains cattle. After settling the details of work
required to be done in each Province with the respective Director of Land
Records and Agriculture, I proceeded first to Cawnpore on the 11th January
1902. A full and detailed report of the results of these experiments was for-
warded to Government on 29th April 1902, together with temperature charts
of the respective animals and an album containing photographs of nearly all
cattle and sheep utilized during such experiments.
10. It will be interesting to note the results obtained in the cattle of the
respective Provinces visited.
Cawnpore.—As far as the results of the observations at Cawnpore go, and
taking into consideration the ages of the animals experimented upon, it would
appear that all possess a considerable amount of hereditary immunity against
rinderpest ; the exact amount, however, it would be impossible to calculate, for
none of the Control animals succumbed to the disease. For practical purposes,
it may be concluded that 10 c. c. of anti-rinderpest serum, equal in protective
value to that of No. XI, administered by the "Serum alone" method, would,
in an ordinary outbreak, be sufficient to ward off the effects of the disease.
11.—Poona. (a) Sindh breed.—It appears from the results of experiments
that 8 c. c. of anti-rinderpest serum would prove ample to protect this breed
of animal by the "Simultaneous method." In the event of an outbreak of rinder-
pest, 15 to 20 c. c. by the "Serum alone" method should prove sufficient to
pass them through an outbreak of disease lasting several months.
(b) Aden breed.—This breed of cattle was found most susceptible to
rinderpest, probably on account of the isolated position of Aden and the infre-
quency of the visitation of cattle disease to that portion of Arabia. It, there-
fore, requires a much larger dose of anti-rinderpest serum than that admini-
stered to plains animals. Until careful experiments can be conducted with
a view to determine the exact dose necessary, it would be advisable to give them
the benefit of the doubt and treat as Himalayan, with eighteen times the
quantity necessary for plains breeds.
(c) Of the other breeds of cattle including, two Deccani (inoculated
with 7 and 9 c. c. per 600lbs.), one Khilar (10 c. c.) and one half-bred Surti
(9 c. c.), the latter only showed symptoms at all, and those of a mild form.
The number of animals submitted to experiment were too small to draw any
definite conclusion from, but one may safely surmise that 6 c. c. for Deccani
and 8 to 10 c. c. for each of the other two breeds would more than suffice.
(d) Buffaloes.—Six buffaloes were tested with anti-rinderpest serum, five
being of Gujrat and one Jafferabad breed, three received 5 c. c., one 6 c. c.
and two 7 c. c. (per 600lbs.) each. One buffalo with 5 c. c. per 600lbs. body
weight showed well marked symptoms, but all recovered. The experiments
with these breeds show that a dose of 7 c. c. would be sufficient to protect by
the "Simultaneous method". Therefore 20 c. c. of No. XI serum, by the
"Serum alone" method, would give sufficient protection to guard against
rinderpest during three to four months.
12. Nagpore.—In order to derive any definite conclusion from the ex-
periments carried out at Nagpore with animals crossed and re-crossed with
different breeds of cattle, it would be first necessary to have definite results
before one as to the way in which the individual breeds, of which they are
composed, react to the serum test. But as this is next to impossible to carry
out, we can only fix the dose for the mixed breeds as commonly met with
in the open market. As regards the results of Nagpur experiments, I would
point out that in the mixed breeds 7 c.c. (of No. XI serum) per 600 lbs. body
weight appears to be sufficient to bring about protection by the " Simultaneous
method "; for, although several of the animals presented symptoms of rinderpest
after inoculation with varying quantities of anti-rinderpest serum, nevertheless,
of the five control animals which received doses of virulent blood alone, varying
from 3 to 10 c.c., none succumbed to rinderpest. Consequently, from 15 to