2
PART II.
TREATMENT OF DISEASE.
There is nothing to add to the remarks made in last year's report, regarding
the incidence of contagious disease in the Province. Rinderpest was more
prevalent, and under present conditions is, practically speaking, uncontrollable.
4,513 outbreaks of all the contagious diseases were brought to the notice of the
staff as compared with 3,527 in 1915-16, an increase of 986. In only 1,850 cases,
however, could help be given as compared with 1,631 in the previous year,
which is satisfactory, when it is considered that there was only a small increase
in the number of Assistants employed, and that in many instances, it was found
necessary to draft them to distant districts for considerable periods, leaving
less severe outbreaks in their own jurisdictions unattended ; many of them
had also to be given leave, which increased the size of the areas supervised
by their locum tenens who were mostly Veterinary Assistants employed
in other Subdivisions of the same district.
The total number of animals reported to have been attacked by, and
to have died during the year from, all diseases was 81,350 and 26,107,
respectively.
Attention has been given to the question of getting members of the
Co-operative Societies to help in outbreaks, but there is still much spade
work to be done as Hindu influence in many districts is still lined up
against the efforts of the Registrar, Co-operative Societies and this Department.
In Gaya opposition was so active that riots occurred ; and an Inspector and a
Veterinary Assistant were assaulted and the inoculating staff had in consequence
to be withdrawn. The guilty parties were prosecuted and punished. It was a
matter of satisfaction to find that Brahmins in the eastern part of the
Samastipur Subdivision, near the Monghyr-Bhagalpur border, accepted
inoculation without objection, and appeared surprised and pleased that
Government should have established a department to deal with disease among
their cattle. This is a very backward part of the District and had never
before been visited by the staff and only rarely by other Government
officials, except the Police. The names of Indian gentlemen who helped
the Department, and influenced villagers to accept inoculations in some
of the bad outbreaks, were brought to the notice of the District officers.
EQUINES.
Glanders.—Two outbreaks of this disease were reported by the staff
during the year. In Hazaribagh 19 cases including those reacting to the
mallein test were found in the Pinjrapole and were suitably dealt with.
The in-contact animals were isolated. As the disease appears to have been
imported from Calcutta in the first instance, the Committee of Management of
the Institute have agreed to admit no more horses from Calcutta for the present.
The other outbreak was discovered in Angul, Orissa, among pack ponies
from the Native State of Dhenkanal. One was destroyed after test with mallein
and one succumbed showing clinical manifestations of the disease, four others
are reported to have died, but they arc not shown in the statement as they
were not seen by any of the staff.
Surra.—Fifteen
deaths from Surra were reported from Singhbhum. The
disease was confirmed by microscopical examination.
Other Contagious Diseases.—No details are available regarding the diseases
which caused the mortality recorded under this head.
BOVINES.
Rinderpest.—All
districts of the Province sent in reports of this diseas
during the year. It was particularly virulent in Shahabad, Darbhauga, Mon
ghyr, Gaya, Palamau, Hazaribagh, Purnea and Cuttack. During April,
May and part of June outbreaks were attended by me in Gaya; in July, August
and September I was in Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur districts; and in Feb-
ruary and March tours were made in the Shahabad District, where considerable
mortality had been reported, especially in the Sasaram Subdivision. The