2
great difficulties were experienced in coping with it, owing to a shortage in
the supply of serum on account of the breakdown in the machinery at the
Mukteswar Laboratory, and to the heavy floods which occurred in the first
three districts, where the work was practically at a standstill for several
months. The mortality would have been much greater, but for the excellent
results of preventive inoculation in cases in which serum was available. In
the area outside Calcutta and its suburbs, the Department dealt with 210 out-
breaks of the disease which caused the death of 3,204 uninoculated animals,
while out of 23,836 animals which were inoculated, only 159 or 0.6 per cent.
died. Similarly there were only 6 deaths among 5,557 animals inoculated for
hæmorrliagic septecæmia. In Calcutta and its suburbs 56 outbreaks of
rinderpest which occurred mostly during the latter part of the year were
promptly attended to by the staff of the Bengal Veterinary College.
Inoculation was performed in 1,911 cases, of which only 32 or 1"6 per cent.
died.
The Governor in Council notices with satisfaction the improvement
which is taking place in reporting the outbreak of infectious and contagious
diseases among cattle. Under arrangements recently made such outbreaks
will be reported, not only by the police, but also by touring officers of the
various Departments of Government and by the Presidents and collecting
members of village panchayats, who have been supplied with post-card
forms for the purpose. The reports are now sent not only to the local
Veterinary Assistants, but also to the Chairman of the District or Local
Board concerned, who is thus enabled to call promptly for any further
assistance which may be required from the Superintendent of the Civil
Veterinary Department. These arrangements should greatly increase the
opportunities of the Department for exorcising its beneficient functions in
staying the course of dangerous epidemic diseases.
5. During the year under report the itinerating Veterinary Assistants
visited 9,810 villages and treated 50,598 patients, as against 10,409 villages
and 52,705 patients in the previous year. The slight decrease is attributed
partly to the fact that foot-and-mouth disease was less prevalent during the
year, and partly to the unusually severe outbreaks of rinderpest and
hæmorrhagic septecæmia in many districts, owing to which the time of
the Veterinary Assistants was fully taken up with the more important duty
of inoculation.
The Superintendent of the Veterinary Department has drawn the
attention of Government to the reluctance on the part of many District
Boards to employ Additional Veterinary Assistants, who are urgently
required, and in view of the material addition lately made to their funds by
the surrender of the entire Public Works coss, the Governor in Council
trusts that District Boards will co-operate whole-heartedly with the
Superintendent in the matter.
6. The administration of the Glanders and Farcy Act was conducted
smoothly during the year. In Calcutta and its neighbourhood, about 4,000
stables wore inspected in the area under the Act, and the disease was
detected in nine stables. In the mufassal, 194 deaths were reported against
260 in the preceding year. One hundred and fifty-eight deaths occurred in
the Sodepore Pinjrapole, but there were severe outbreaks also at Mymensingh
and Rangpur.
The maximum amount of compensation payable for each animal destroyed
under the Glanders and Farcy Act was Rs. 100 in the districts in East
Bengal and Rs. 50 in West Bengal. The amount has now been fixed by
Government at Rs. 100 for the whole Presidency, and it is hoped that the
increased rates of compensation will induce owners to report cases promptly
and so assist in the stamping out of the disease. The amount paid as
compensation during the year was Rs. 1,339 as compared with Rs. 282 in
the previous year.
7. No new dispensary was opened during the year. The total number
of patients treated at the existing 18 dispensaries was 21,503 as against
22,106 in the preceding year. The proposal for the establishment of a
dispensary at Bakarganj mentioned in the last year's Resolution has been
temporarily abandoned, as the District Board have decided not to undertake