( 4 )
time to be of any assistance. It is not easily diagnosed by laymen and often is
mistaken for other diseases, hence entire reliability cannot be placed on these
figures. Notification of anthrax cases is regularly given to the American Consul.
26. Foot-and-mouth disease.—During the year under report these provinces
have again suffered very severely from this scourge. It has prevailed with greater
or less intensity throughout the whole area, very few districts escaping its ravages.
The reported losses from the disease were 4,005, the mortality being chiefly
confined to young stock or old, weakly, and decrepit animals. Apart from the losses
by death from this disease it causes much inconvenience to agriculturists especially
during harvest or ploughing seasons. Cattle fairs and markets are responsible for
much of the spread of the disease and the appearance of one case in a village is
often soon followed by general infection throughout the whole of the village cattle.
This is to a great extent owing to the apathy and ignorance of villagers themselves,
who cannot be induced to realize the necessity of early treatment and segregation,
&c. The veterinary assistants have been kept very busy throughout the year, in
attending and treating cases of this disease. Where funds were available,
medicines have been distributed free to owners of affected cattle. The question
of how to deal effectively with foot-and-mouth disease is a very serious one in a
country like India, owing to the large tracts of unfenced land where cattle can
wander at will and indiscriminately infect others with whom they come in
contact. In the absence of legislation prohibiting transit of infected animals,
and movement from infected areas, which seems to be hardly practicable in this
country at present, it is a difficult problem to solve.
Other contagious disease.
27. Three hundred and fifty-three head of cattle are reported as having
died from other contagious diseases, which include pleuropneumonia, bovine
piroplasmosis, tnberculosis, contagious abortion, &c.
Contagious diseases amongst other animals.
28. Pleuropneumonia and rinderpest have, as usual, been responsible for many
deaths amongst sheep and goats. Rabies, canine distemper, tetanus, haemorrhagic
septicaemia, fowl-cholera, spirochetosis, surra, and various parasitic ailments have
accounted for many deaths among the smaller domesticated animals.
Preventive inoculation.
See table III.
29. During the year under report 66,022 inoculations and vaccinations have
been carried out, chiefly against rinderpest although haemorrhagic septicaemia and
black quarter have also been treated by these methods. This work however has
been seriously handicapped owing to the suspension of the serum-supply from the
Muktesar Laboratory, due to a breakdown of the machinery. From 29th July
1913 to 31st of March 1914 only 10,000 doses were received by this department
and had it not been that a reserve stock had been laid in several months previously,
the consequences would have been very disastrous, as the demand for the
prophylactic has this year exceeded that of any previous season. In most tracts
this method of dealing with rinderpest and other maladies has now come to be
looked upon with great favour by cattle-owners, who regard it as the only
satisfactory measure to be adopted, and it is to be feared that this continued
inability to inoculate their cattle owing to shortage of serum, will eventually shake
their confidence in the work of this department which it has taken so many years
to secure. In view of the shortage of material, however, all members of the
veterinary staff were directed, that in outbreaks where no serum was available,
special measures were to be taken by them for the prevention of the spread of the
malady by means of segregation, and strict attention to sanitation and hygiene, as
well as care in feeding and general management, and it is believed that but for
this a much heavier mortality would have been recorded. It is estimated that
something like 150,000 inoculations would have been conducted if the material
had been obtainable. During some of my tours I received many deputations from
stock-owners praying that their animals might be inoculated, which seems ample
evidence that the past result of this work has almost generally overcome any
prejudices the people might have had about it.