69
448. Charbon Symptomatique was reported from five districts. The
total number attacked amounted to 158, of which 93 per cent. proved fatal.
449. As bearing on the excessive fodder famine which has existed in the
Deccan and Guzerat and as showing the mortality which has arisen therefrom,
I deem it advisable to give, in extenso, certain extracts from Veterinary Major
Morgan's able report. Remarking on the mortality arising from famine, he
states:—
"It is difficult to estimate the mortality which has taken place in certain parts of this Presidency. But
there can be no doubt that the districts of Ahmedabad, Kaira, Punch Mahals and Broach have lost something
like 70 per cent. Surat being well supplied with fodder, both from grass lands and arable fields, has not suffered
to the same extent. Before the famino, the above four districts had a little over 13 lakhs of head of cattle, and
during the eight mouths, from August to March, exported about 300,000 maunds of hides.
"Assuming six hides go to an Indian maund,the above figures represent a mortality, amounting to 1,800,000
head of cattle. Sindh and Native States, from where cattle were brought early in the season into Ahmedabad
and the Panch Mahals in the hope of finding grazing, are to a great extent responsible for this number.
The figures, however, give an approximate indication of the cattle mortality in the British districts of
Guzerat. Among the Guzerat districts Ahmedabad has suffered most; next comes the Panch Mahals. In Kaira,
where fodder crops were raised to a considerable extent, the mortality was not as high as in the first named two
districts. Broach, by timely removal to the Rajpipla forests has been able to save a considerable percentage
of its cattle. Among the Deccan districts, Khandesh appears to be suffering most. In the five months ending
January 1900 it exported 20,300 maunds of hides. From Nasik the exports for the same period amounted to
10,600 maunds, from Ahmednagar to 4,400, from Sholapur to 4,900, and from Poona to 1,100. The mortality
in the Satara and Carnatic districts of Belgaum, Bijapur and Dharwar is not likely to be very heavy as these
districts are well supplied with fodder. The mortality in the Deccan districts during the months of February
March and April amounted to 33,282 and in the Guzerat districts for the month of April to 8,144: the total
mortality up to the end of April, according to these figures, amounts to 2,089,226 head. But I do not think that
they can be anywhere near the mark as they are only calculated up to the end of April, leaving the two most
trying months (May and June) in which the mortality must have been very high, still to be accounted for.
No proper estimate can possibly be found until next August or September as very large numbers of the cattle
which have managed to exist during the hot weather are in their impoverished states bound to succumb from
the effects of eating the young green grass."
"The Native States bordering on the Bombay Presidency have suffered to a very great extent, and
Kathiawar, as far as I was able to judge when touring in that district, must have lost between 60 and 70 per
cent. as very early in the season nearly all the carts were worked by hand labour. The Junagarh State is
estimated to have had 105,411 head of cattle before the famine commenced, and if the figures are reliable, at
the end of April about 70,000 were still alive. If this is correct, the percentage saved is high.
"The Deccan cultivator, who is a man accustomed to deal with times of scarcity, realized the position
very early in the season and concentrated all his efforts in endeavouring to save his working cattle, and as far
as I can gather from personal observations and enquiry, has to a great extent succeeded. The mortality in
the Deccan has been chiefly confined to the small useless cattle that are invariably to be found in large numbers
in every village in times of prosperity and who do not assist in working the land."
450. Bearing on the subject of the steps taken by the Bombay Government
to endeavour to minimize the excessive mortality arising from famine and to
save the plough cattle of the cultivators, I deem it advisable to place on record
the remarks made by the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department :—
"In the month of August 1899 the Government of Bombay realized that the famine in Guzerat had
assumed such a serious aspect and that the mortality amongst cattle would be so great, that it was necessary
that some steps should be taken with a view of endeavouring to save even a small proportion in that district,
and the experiment of establishing cattle camps under European supervision was attempted. Large numbers
of cattle were also sent by train to districts where grass and water were abundant. As these camps have yet
some time to run, it is impossible in this report to state whether they have been successful, and whether it
would be advisable under similar circumstances to adopt similar measures. However, I feel sure that when
the final statistics of these experiments are compiled that they will prove of the utmost value in future famine
years. It is more with outbreaks of disease that have occurred that I propose dealing. When these camps
were established the fact was recognized that the bringing together of so many animals from different parts
of the district would most probably end in outbreaks of epidemic diseases, and, with a view to prevent such a
possibility, extreme caution and daily inspection by qualified veterinary graduates was immediately organized
and the sanitary arrangements made as perfect as possible."
"Summary.—These camps since last October have had something like 7,000 animals through them and
up to the end of April the total casualties from debility (famine), accidents, and common diseases, amounted to
615 and from rinderpest to only 68. I do not know any similar case in this country, when dealing with rinder-
pest, where it has been possible amongst so large a number of animals to record statistics that are both accurate
and reliable in every way. In this instance, every animal was counted once a day, placed in an enclosed yard
during the night, fed from a trough and inspected. daily by qualified veterinary graduates. On the slightest
symptom of disease they were at once removed to yards specially set apart for the purpose, and if contagious,
segregated. I have already stated that rinderpest broke out in four camps; that 137 animals were attacked, of
which 68 died and 72 recovered: this out of a total of nearly 7,000, animals.
"When it was proposed to inoculate all the animals in these camps, great difficulty was experienced
in obtaining virulent blood and with this object in view four calves were at different times inoculated intravenously
with 10 c. c. of virulent blood, and others were placed alongside of animals suffering from rinderpest. But
in no single instance were we successful in reproducing the disease, and not a single animal showed the slightest
reaction. I think that there can be no doubt that nearly all the buffaloes in No. 2 Camp and that 80 per ent.
of the cattle in No. 4 Camp had the disease in a modified form although no visible symptoms were apparent.
These facts are valuable in that they prove rinderpest is a disease considerably affected by the conditions
under which it is placed and the class of cattle attacked. In the cattle camps we had great heat, direct action
of the sun on most of the yards; dry absorbent, sandy soil and good sanitary arrangements. Under these
conditions, the disease did not spread but confined itself to the yards in which it originated, although nothing
but posts and rails divided the yards, and cattle were in the habit of licking each other through the rails. Had
these conditions been reversed and instead of the great heat and dryness, moisture and cold had prevaile the