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MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931. 7
III.—PRODUCTION.
It will be observed from Appendix I of this report that there was
a falling off in the demand for most of the products of this Institute
during the year under review, compared with the issues of the previous
5 years.
In the case of Anti-Rinderpest serum the difference between the
issues of 1930-31 and the previous year was as much as 15 lacs of
doses, and there was also a considerable drop in the demand for Anti¬
Haemorrhagic Septicaemia serum. It appears that the main reason
for the fall in the demand for Anti-Rinderpest serum is that the peak
of the last wave of this disease, which commenced to spread through
India about 6 years ago, has been reached, and at the moment
Rinderpest is declining in most parts of the country. It may be
observed, however, that while there was a drop of 14 lacs of doses
in the demand for preventive Anti-Rinderpest serum, the demand for
special serum for Serum-simultaneous inoculations showed a decrease
of only 1 lac of doses.
Another factor, which is undoubtedly influencing adversely the
sale of the products of this Institute, as evidenced by the fact that
there is a general drop in the demand, is the shortage of money in
most of the provinces, and unless steps are taken in the near future to
reduce the price of our main products it is to be anticipated that some
provinces will cut their demands still further, with the result that the
ryot classes and other cattle owners will be put to further loss from
preventible disease.
As anticipated in last year's report a system of Cost and Commercial
Accounts was introduced at the Imperial Veterinary Serum Institute,
Izatnagar, on 1st August 1930, and as soon as the accounts for a
complete year have been audited, proposals to reduce the price of the
four products manufactured at that Institute, to something more in
accordance with the cost of production, will be submitted.
The amount of the four products actually manufactured at the
Imperial Veterinary Serum Institute, Izatnagar, during the year is
given in the Deputy Director's report, which is printed below. As a
result of continued experiments into the factors influencing the pro-
duction of a potent anti-Rinderpest serum it was found that one of
the most important of these was the selection as serum-makers of only
those animals which gave a satisfactory reaction during immunisation
and by discarding unsuitable reactors more ruthlessly it was possible
by the end of the year to produce highly potent sera, suitable for use
in Serum-simultaneous inoculations, with much more regularity than
had been the case during the previous year. The bottling and issue
of the three largest products from Izatnagar to the field was continued
during the year, and it is hoped that this has hastened the receipt
of supplies of these products by our customers, in addition to reducing
transport charges.
Work in connection with the production of a suitable Mallein,
referred to in last year's report, was continued at Muktesar and as a
8
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF. VETY. RESEARCH,
result it was decided to abandon the meat digest broth, which had
been used for the production of the Mallein, about which complaints
were received, and revert to the old method of using peptone glycerine
broth.
A new product, Fowl Cholera vaccine, was prepared during the
year and added to the list of products available for sale.
The production of both bull and goat Rinderpest virus, for use in
Serum-simultaneous inoculations and immunising purposes at Izat¬
nagar, was continued at Muktesar. Of 196 lots prepared, only 5 or
less than 2.5%, had to be discarded on account of bacterial contamina-
tion.
IV.—INSTRUCTION.
In accordance with the orders of the Government of India a post-
graduate refresher course was held for officers of the Royal Army
Veterinary Corps, Indian Veterinary Service and Superior Provincial
Veterinary Services during the months of April, May and June 1930.
The course lasted for 10 weeks and consisted of lectures by the staff
of the Institute in Pathology, Bacteriology, Protozoology Entomology,
Helminthology, Epizootiology and Biochemistry and practical work
in the laboratories, post-mortem room, cattle sheds, etc.
The following officers attended the course :—
(1) Major W. L. Sinton, R.A.V.C.
(2) Capt. C. V. K. Porter, R.A.V.C.
(3) Mr. Mohey Din, M.R.C.V.S., Bombay Veterinary College.
(4) Mr. P. N. Nanda, M.R.C.V.S., Assistant Superintendent
Hissar Cattle Farm.
Later in the year the Government of India approved of a proposal to
throw open this course, in addition to those officers previously mentioned,
to officers of the ordinary provincial services, and other Veterinary
graduates in special posts, providing they possess some knowledge
of Biology and Pathology. They also agreed that the course should
be held annually in future, providing a minimum of 6 students is
obtained. The maximum number of students which can be accommo-
dated at one time is eleven.
In addition to the refresher course referred to above, the following
post-graduate students took practical courses at the Institute during
the year for periods varying from 1½ to 6 months:—
(1) Mr. P. N. Nanda, M.R.C.V.S., Assistant Superintendent,
Hissar Cattle Farm.
(2) Capt. E. E. Jelbart, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Officer, Jind
State.
(3) Mr. J. Chowdhry, Veterinary Officer, Jaipur State.
(4) Mr. Dil Bahadur, Veterinary Graduate, Nepal.
(5) Mr. K. C. Sen Gupta, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon,
United Provinces.
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931.
9
(6) Mr. Gurbaksh Singh, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon,
Punjab.
(7) Mr. Ram Lal Kaura, L.V.P., Hissar Cattle Farm.
(8) Mr. V. R. Gopal Krishnan, Veterinary Assistant Sur-
geon, Central Provinces.
(9) Mr. N. S. Jawade, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Central
Provinces.
Mr. Muhammad Yakub, L.V.P., a research scholar from the Pun-
jab, joined this Institute on 16th March 1931, for a 2 years' course of
training.
V.—RESEARCH.
The arrangement by which all the technical work at Muktesar is
supervised by one officer was perforce continued throughout the year,
and the wide range of the activities of these officers is well displayed in
the report of the Veterinary Research Officer, to which reference should
be made for details of the work done.
The demands on the Institute from outside sources, in addition to
the large amount of testing and experimental work which has to be
done in connection with the products of the Institute, have now reached
such a pitch that the supervision of all this work by one officer has
become impossible, and proposals were submitted to the Government
of India during the year for splitting up the technical work at Mukte-
sar into 3 large sections of Pathology, Serology, and Protozoology.
The approval of the Secretary of State for India to the scheme was
received after the close of the year, and it is proposed to introduce
it as soon as circumstances permit.
Reference was made in last year's report to several schemes which
had been submitted to the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research
for the provision of funds, and it was hoped that by this means the
permanent staff of the Institute would be relieved of a certain amount
of their heavy routine duties, and that progress in the elucidation of
the many problems which beset Veterinary workers in this country
would be speeded up all round. All four schemes met with the
approval of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Council, but, unfor-
tunately, those asking for the provision of Specialist Officers for Con-
tagious Abortion, and certain equine diseases were not passed by the
Governing Body.
As regards the scheme for a Specialist Officer for Tuberculosis and
Johne's Disease, it has been decided by the Governing Body that two
or three young Indian Veterinary Officers shall be sent to England
for training in this subject, and on their return one of these will be
selected for the post.
The appointment of a Protozoologist to this Institute for 5 years
in the first place from the funds of the Council has been approved by
the Governing Body to take charge of the new Section of Protozoology
referred to in a previous paragraph.
10
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
As usual, a large amount of research work was undertaken during
the year in connection with Rinderpest, and it is hoped that the results
obtained will be made available for publication in the near future. No
doubt, those connected with the preservation of cattle in this country
are anxiously awaiting an announcement from this Institute regarding
the issue of a Rinderpest vaccine, which appears to have been introduc-
ed successfully in other countries afflicted with this disease. A vaccine
would, of course, be a much simpler and cheaper method of protecting
animals than methods involving the use of serum or serum and virus,
but, so far, the experiments carried out at this Institute have not
proved that the vaccines used in other countries are as safe or efficient
as the Serum-simultaneous method, as practised in this country. As
soon as an experienced Serologist is appointed, however, experiments
with a Rinderpest vaccine will be continued on a larger scale.
A total of 463 consignments of material from outside sources was
received, as compared with 276 similar consignments in 1929-30. The
details of the specimens are given in Appendix IV and their origin was
as follows:—
Army Department
.
.
.
Provincial Civil Veterinary Departments .
Indian States
.....
Private persons, etc,
....
326
84
34
19
463
VI.—PUBLICATION.
The following papers by members of the staff of this Institute have
appeared or are about to appear in the Indian Journal of Veterinary
Science and Animal Husbandry and the Indian Journal of Medical
Research:—
(1) Directions for the Serum-simultaneous and anti-Rinderpest
inoculation of cattle, by H. Cooper.
(2) Three days sickness (Areview), by S. K. Sen.
(3) Bionomics and Anatomy of Corizoneura longirostris, by S. K.
Sen.
(4) Haemolysis by Amines and allied substances, by K. C. Sen
and A. C. Roy.
(5) Equine Microfilariasis (A short review of the literature), by
S. K. Sen.
(6) The diagnosis of Johne's Disease—Some experimental results
using a Bowel-washing method, by H. Cooper and M. K. Srinivasan.
(7) Further insaltments of "A Veterinary Entomology for India,"
by S. K. Sen in collaboration with the Imperial Entomologist.
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931.
11
Publications in other journals include :—
(1) The toxicity of Sodium fluosilicate for domesticated animals
(Journal of the Central Bureau of Animal Husb. and Dairying), by
J. D'Costa and Balwant Singh.
(2) On a new Acanthocephala from Ophiocephalus striatus (Annals
and Magazine of Natural Hist. London), by G. D. Bhalerao.
(3) Two new Trematodes from Reptitles (Parasitology Cambridge),
by G. D. Bhalerao.
The following papers by members of the staff of this Institute were
read at the Indian Science Congress held at Nagpur in January
1931 :—
By Mr. S. C. A. Datta :
(1) Bursatee, an Actinomycotic infection in Horses in India.
(2) A critical review of the literature upon Endemic Bovine
Hæmaturia with the elaboration of a theory.
By Mr. G. D. Bhalerao :
(1) The free-living stages in the life history of Mecistocirrus digi¬
tatus, a nematode causing parasitic gastritis in cattle.
(2) On the probability of infection of domestic animals by a piscian
fluke, Isoparorchis trisimilitubis.
(3) A note on the occurrence of Pseudodiscus collinsi in Indian
elephants.
(4) The trematode parasites of pigs in Bengal.
(5) Two new parasites from the King Cobra, Naja hannah.
By Mr. R. N. Naik :
(1) Tuberculosis in Buffaloes in India.
(2) Notes on the occurrence of Helminth parasites in domestic
animals in the Bombay Presidency.
By Messrs. H. Cooper and R. N. Naik:
The existence of Fowl Typhoid in India.
By Messrs. H Cooper and M. B. Menon :
Vaccination against Rinderpest.
By Mr. P. C. Banerjee:
Is Glanders transmissible in Utero ?
VII.—FINANCE.
The financial position of the two Institutes is displayed in Appendix
V, from which it will be observed that the total expenditure for the
year was Rs. 8,29,409 and the total income Rs. 12,00,381-6-0,
C
12
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
representing a gross profit in the year's working of Rs. 3,70,972-6-0,
compared with Rs. 7,82,916-2-9 in the previous year. The reduction
in profit is due, as previously explained, to the smaller demand for the
products of this Institute, particularly anti-Rinderpest serum, which
occurred during the latter half of the year.
For the first time, it is possible to show the expenditure of the two
Institutes separately, and it will be seen that the expenditure incurred
at Muktesar was rather more than 5½ lacs of rupees, whereas that at
Izatnagar was just over 2½ lacs. It must not be supposed, however,
that this represents the difference between expenditure on Research and
on Production, for several products are still made at Muktesar, where
the testing of Izatnagar products also takes place.
VIII.—GENERAL.
Mr. D. Keiller, Head Laboratory Assistant, was gazetted as a
Companion of the Imperial Service Order in the King's Birthday
Honours List, 1930.
The total population of the Muktesar Estate, according to the census
taken in February 1931, was :
Males.
Females.
Total.
829
159
982
The following distinguished visitors were received at Muktesar
during the year :—
His Highness the Maharajah of Mysore and suite.
Sir Frank Noyce, Secretary to the Government of India, Depart-
ment of Education, Health and Lands.
Colonel A. Olver, Animal Husbandry Expert to the Imperial Council
of Agricultural Research.
N. C. Stiffe Esquire, Commissioner of Kumaun.
C. L. Vivian Esquire, Deputy Commissioner, Naini Tal.
The past year was another very heavy one, both at Izatnagar and
Muktesar, and the Director wishes to place on record his deep apprecia-
tion of the loyal way in which all members of the staff worked through-
out the year.
This report cannot be closed without referring again to the energy
and enthusiasm displayed by Mr. Cooper in supervising the technical
work at Muktesar, and Mr. Griffiths also deserves congratulations for
the great improvements he managed to effect in the Engineering
Section in the short space of 12 months. Mention must also be made
of the prompt and efficient manner in which Mr. D'Costa took over
the onerous duties of Deputy Director at Izatnagar, when the superior
staff was being sadly depleted through officers falling sick or resigning.
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931.
13
REPORT OF THE VETERINARY RESEARCH OFFICER
(MR. H. COOPER, M.R.C.V.S.).
I.—RINDERPEST.
(1) Immunity following serum-simultaneous inoculation.— Immuni-
sations amongst the young stock of the Dairy Herd were carried out as
usual, using both hill bull and goat strain viruses, and a number of
immunity tests using virulent hill bull virus were made. Mr. D'Costa,
who has been responsible for the execution of this work ever since its
inception in 1922, drew up a detailed summary of the position as it
was in the middle of the year, and it is hoped that it will be possible to
publish the extremely informative results shortly.
(2) Vaccination.—In collaboration with Mr. Menon the experi-
ments started last year were continued. The vaccine introduced by
Daubney (1928) in East Africa was tried, using spleen pulp taken
from cattle at the height of a rinderpest reaction, with and without
the addition of 1 per cent. peptone, and with 1 in 1500 of formalin in
Ringer's solution added. The results obtained were at marked
variance with those reported by Daubney, namely that his vaccine was
ready to use immediately after preparation, but was only of value when
used before seven days. The vaccine made at Muktesar proved to be
still highly infective for cattle four days after preparation without
peptone, and for as long a period as 12 days with the addition of
peptone. Without peptone the vaccine proved to be safe for inocu-
lation from the 12th to 21st days after preparation, and with peptone
from 15th to 21st days. Tested 15 days later for immunity none of
the vaccinated animals died of rinderpest, and only some mild tempe-
rature reactions were exhibited in those injected with the older samples
of the vaccines. The results are therefore encouraging, but the vaccine
cannot at present be applied easily for field use on account of the very
limited time during which it is both safe and protective.
A further test of Kelser's chloroform vaccine prepared last year was
carried out. The vaccine was injected 323 days after preparation, and
the cattle were tested with virulent virus 32 days later. The results
indicated that although it had deteriorated very considerably, it still
had some protective value.
(3) Infection by contact.—In continuation of the small preliminary
experiments referred to in last year's report, striking confirmation of
the indications given there was obtained from an experiment conducted
during the past year. Three lots of susceptible hill bulls were placed
in three different sheds, each lot being allowed to run free in a box, and
being subjected to contact with other animals infected with Rinderpest
at different stages of the disease.
Before the experiment was undertaken it had been realized that
contact was made much more closely and continuously than would
occur usually under natural conditions in a village, and the results
obtained indicate clearly that rinderpest spreads by contact only very
slowly among healthy susceptible cattle.
C 2
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931.
15
of using much reduced doses of anti-rinderpest serum, or even goat
virus alone as a protective agent against natural Rinderpest.
Before issuing advice in this connection to Bengal a test using 60
average "plains" cattle purchased in the Bareilly and surrounding
districts was carried out at Izatnagar under the supervision of Mr.
D'Costa. Much reduced doses of serum, both Protective and Class II,
were given to different lots using also a large proportion of controls
where no serum at all was injected. Only extremely mild reactions
were exhibited in a small proportion of the animals, and not a single
death occurred directly ascribable to Rinderpest.
Experience gained in two "plains" districts in Bengal and the
United Provinces, indicates, therefore, that it may be possible to use
goat virus as a vaccine, or with only extremely small doses of serum.
Even a small reduction in the present quantity of serum advised for
field use in serum-simultaneous inoculations would result in very great
saving of money, and a much larger number of animals could then be
immunised in India as a whole at the present cost. In spite of these
results, however, it is still not possible for this Institute to advise any
drastic change in method in view of the grave risks that are involved,
for a tract in which the animals are considerably more susceptible is
liable to be encountered suddenly at any time.
(6) Natural outbreaks in protected cattle.—On three occasions
reports were received that deaths due to Rinderpest had occurred in
military dairy farms among cattle that had previously been immunised
by the Serum-simultaneous method. It was only possible for us to carry
out an investigation on the spot in one of the cases, and this examina-
tion resulted in the detection of an error in the execution of the original
Serum-simultaneous inoculation, during which it appeared that inert
virus had been employed.
(7) Drug treatment.—
(a) A " Bayer" preparation, Plasmoquine, was sent to us by
Messrs. Havero Trading Co., for trial in the treatment of
Rinderpest on analogy with a definite curative action
reported to have been obtained with it in Pemphigus of the
human subject. An extensive trial upon artificially infected
hill bulls failed, however, to indicate any curative action in
Rinderpest.
(b) Another " Bayer" preparation, Trypaflavine, an acridine
product, was sent to us by the same firm for trial in the
treatment of Bovine Tropical Redwater, due to Babesia
bigemina. Since this disease occurs as an intercurrent
affection with considerable frequency in the course of
Rinderpest reactions, it was convenient to use it for trial
upon cattle that were suffering severely from both the
diseases at the same time. In the first experiment carried
out, in addition to causing immediate disappearance of the
blood parasites (B. bigemina), the drug appeared to exert a
marked curative action upon Rinderpest, since the bulls
recovered and lived although they were deemed to be at the
16 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
time of treatment already almost in extremis. Further
extensive trials of the drug in uncomplicated cases of
Rinderpest, however, unfortunately resulted in the exhibition
of no curative properties.
(c) It was reported to us by Mr. W. Harris, Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, Assam, that the use of Iodine and
Iodides given at the height of the fever in Rinderpest had
proved to be an effective cure of the disease in field practice.
At his request a small experimental trial was carried out at
Muktesar, but no beneficial effect could be demonstrated
from their use.
(8) Bio-chemical Research.—Mr. A. C. Roy, M.Sc., Officiating
Bio-chemist, took up for investigation during the year studies making
use of the original observations of Hartley concerning the
euglobulin content of sera. Improved experimental methods for carry-
ing out precipitation have been devised by a number of workers
recently, and it is intended to develop the work upon two main lines,
viz. :—
(a) To study the relationship which appears to exist between the
euglobulin fraction and anti-body content of a serum, and
endeavour to devise a simple bio-chemical test for the
estimation of the immunity of cattle to Rinderpest, which
would obviously be of inestimable value to this Institute.
(b) On the assumption that the anti-bodies of Rinderpest are
contained in, or intimately connected with, the euglobulin
fraction of a serum, to discover a satisfactory method of
concentrating anti-rinderpest serum by extracting the euglo¬
bulins by precipitation, and so obtain a serum of reduced
bulk for transportation. Research in this direction has
previously been undertaken at this Institute by attempting
the drying of serum by desiccation under reduced atmos-
pheric pressure, but without practical results hitherto.
(9) Serum dose rates based upon Active Protoplasmic Tissue Units.—
The point was raised by Mr. G. P. Goffi, Head Laboratory Assistant
at the Imperial Veterinary Serum Institute, Izatnagar, that the existing
method of using body-weight as the unit for calculating the quantities
of serum given to animals in anti-rinderpest serum potency tests resulted
in the amount of serum given in some cases being so small that no
protection could be expected to result even with a highly potent serum,
and he suggested that a method of dosage based on Active Protoplasmic
Tissue units should be adopted.
The basis of the A. P. T. Unit method is that the active protoplas-
mic or reacting tissue is not proportionate to the body weight. As an
example, when the mass is increased ten times the active protoplasmic
tissue only increases 4.6 times. If the theory is correct, it means that
large animals given serum on the line of strict proportion are receiving
unnecessarily large doses of serum both in the field and in our potency
tests; and, conversely, that small animals are receiving an insufficient
dose of serum. As it has been found that the average weight of hill