4
21. The new buildings at the Madras College were completed and opened
last October and the classes have since been held in them.
22. When all these improvements have been carried out, our Colleges will
compare favourably with those of any other part of the world in the way of
equipment and buildings, with the exception of Alfort and a few national
Colleges of that stamp, and it will be well to consider the advisability of
maintaining a suitable teaching staff in them.
23. The question of establishing small local research laboratories has re-
ceived attention, Bengal and the Punjab being provided with suitable premises.
In the latter, some research work has been carried out, but whole time patholo-
gists are required for the purpose.
24. Besides the training of Veterinary Assistants, classes for Transport
dressers were held at the Punjab and Bombay Colleges, 65 men being trained
at the former and 30 at the latter. A Farrier's class was also held at the
Punjab College and 8 trained men passed out. The question of establishing
a similar class at the Bombay Veterinary College is under consideration.
25. A second edition of the text book on Equine Medicine, in Urdu, was
completed by Major Pease and the Urdu Indian Veterinary Journal issued
monthly from the Punjab Veterinary College during the year. A journal of
Tropical Veterinary Science is also now issued from this College by Major Pease,
Captain Baldrey and Mr. Montgomery.
26. From the above remarks it will be seen that extraordinary progress
has been made in the development of veterinary education in all Provinces
during the year. This is a matter for congratulation, as the better trained our
Veterinary Assistants are the more satisfactory will be the results of their em-
ployment in the districts.
II.-TREATMENT OF DISEASE.
Contagious
disease amongst
solipeds,
out-
breaks, morta-
lity, etc.
27. Table II shows the reported mortality from the contagious diseases
therein named in the various districts under this Department. The Army
Remount Department deal with all cases of contagious disease among equines
in the districts selected for horse breeding under their Department and we have
no record of them.
28. The returns are as reliable as it is possible for us to make them at
present, but represent only cases which have been brought to the notice of
officers of the Department. As the supervising and executive staff is at present
very small indeed and much below requirements in all provinces and the
equine population very sparse in the rural districts, it is obvious that the
numbers given do not in any way represent the total mortality from the diseases
mentioned. I think, however, that some improvement has been effected in the
system of reporting outbreaks in provinces where the Department has made
some headway. In other places, where, owing to the inadequacy of the staff, no
assistance can be given, reports are naturally not often sent in.
29. Glanders.—There is a slight increase in the number of cases of
Glanders dealt with under the Glanders and Farcy Act during the year. An
important step was taken by the Government of Bengal which framed special
rules for applying the Glanders and Farcy Act of 1899 to Calcutta and its
suburbs, and the staff and isolation arrangements will be provided in due
course. The Act was also applied to Ajmer, Beawar and Nasirabad Canton-
ments. 580 cases were detected and destroyed against 508 last year. No less
than 530 of these occurred in Bengal proper and 21 in Eastern Bengal and
Assam ; the number of cases in other provinces being insignificant. The
wisdom of enforcing the Act in Bengal is therefore proved beyond doubt.
Bombay return only 17 cases this year against 50 last, so that the number
there is normal.
30. In connection with the subject of Glanders, it is interesting to note
that a form of Pseudo Glanders has been detected both at the Imperial
Bacteriological Laboratory at Muktesar and in the Punjab Veterinary College
Laboratory, the material having been obtained in the first case from Bombay
and in the last from the Punjab. The true nature of the virus causing this