4
15. On September 4th, the Inspector General issued orders to the Superin-
tendents, Civil Veterinary Departments, North-Western Provinces and North and
South Punjab, to report all outbreaks of Rinderpest in their province or circle
direct to the Imperial Bacteriologist. This information was conveyed in Ins-
pector General's No. 1214—191-M., dated 4th September, suggesting that before
proceeding, district officers should be communicated with, in order to ascertain
whether the disease still existed.
16. On reference to Appendix III, it will be observed that different
district officers were telegraphed to, with regard to the existence of the disease
in their several sub-divisions. In consequence of the information received
being for the most part of a negative character, for, in several instances, the
disease had abated before information of the outbreak reached the Laboratory,
and in others the number of animals affected rendered it inadvisable to proceed
to such a distance for material. It was determined to wait for a few days until
some serious outbreak occurred before leaving Muktesar.
17. On the 24th September, a large outbreak was reported from the Gha-
zipur district, and arrangements were made to proceed to the seat of the Epi-
zootic. However, on the evening of the 25th, an urgent telegram was received,
requesting me to proceed to Simla with as little delay as possible; consequently
the Collector of Ghazipur was informed that the Imperial Bacteriologist would
visit that district on leaving Simla if the disease continued to spread.
18. Ghazipur Blood.—Owing to information received, previous to leaving
Simla on October 11th, 1897,I proceeded to Ghazipur, North-Western Provin-
ces, in which district Rinderpest had been raging for sometime. Mr. R. E.
Hamblin, the Collector rendered me every assistance in obtaining Rinderpest
material, and my best thanks are due to that officer for the arrangements
he made on my behalf. On the 15th October, a Rinderpest camp was
formed near Nandganj, 12 miles from Ghazipnr; here numerous animals
were collected together, suffering from the disease, and were under obser-
vation until the 20th. As up to this time only three animals had died, the
blood of which was unsuitable for Experimental purposes, and as all the
rest recovered, on the 21st October, we formed another camp with a like
object in view at Birno, near the Azamgarh road. At this place, I remained
until the 25th October, during which time ten autopsies were conducted.
On the last date mentioned, blood was obtained from three diseased animals,
and after being placed in ice, was transported to Muktesar via Kathgodam ;
considerable delay (24 hours) was caused at this station. Although a tele-
gram had been sent on the previous day to secure coolies, none could be
obtained for transport purposes ; consequently the Laboratory was only reached
on the 29th at 5 P.M. instead of the day previous.
19. Subcutaneous inoculations of Rinderpest blood were made with the
three samples of defibrinated blood taken respectively from (1) a buffalo cow,
(2) a buffalo calf, and (3) a plains' cow.
Five bullocks in all were utilized for this experiment at Muktesar; two
each for the first and second and one for the third. Each animal received 10
c. cm. of blood.
One animal out of the five inoculated developed symptoms of the disease,
viz., one of the two injected with blood from the buffalo cow. The first
symptom—the rise of temperature—occurred 100 hours later. This animal
passed through a smart attack of the disease, but ultimately recovered. On
the sixth day of the disease a healthy bullock and a female goat (pregnant)
were inoculated with blood removed from the Jugular vein of the last-
mentioned bullock at the period when that fluid is found to possess the great-
est virulence. The bullock, kept under observation for a period of two
months, never showed any rise in temperature or symptom of Rinderpest;
but the goat aborted 75 hours after inoculation (temperative 39.5°), a rise in
temperature (41.5°) occurring 28 hours later, but no symptoms of the disease
in question ever appeared.
20. It will be thus noted that for the third time we were left without any
virulent Rinderpest material to continue our Experiments.