7
III.—CATTLE DISEASE—INVESTIGATION AND PREVENTION.
Veterinary Captain Walker submits the following very interesting
report on this subject:—
" It will, I hope, be considered that great progress has been made in "
"this direction during the past year. The mortality figures show an increase "
" on last year but they are much below those of the year previous to that. "
"In that year (1900-01) rinderpest alone claimed no less than 8,121 deaths "
" out of 13,511 animals attacked, and 11,355 animals died during the year "
" from all causes. Last year was no doubt an exceptional one in this respect,"
" as I mentioned in the annual report I also, last year, drew attention to "
" the probability that all outbreaks of cattle disease are not reported, and "
" that it is unlikely that the present mortality returns represent anything "
" like the whole of the losses which take place. The system of obtaining infor- "
" mation from patwáris is by no means perfect, and this department requires"
" more assistance if accurate statistics are required."
"Veterinary Assistants are too widely scattered to get information first"
" hand. They visit the scene of all outbreaks reported to them and the figures "
" are compiled from their reports."
"Contagious disease is usually most severe in the hills. No Veterinary"
" Assistant has yet been appointed to the Simla District, and the other hill"
" districts are undermanned, but this is generally the case throughout the Pro-"
" vince."
Revenue
Circulars
brought up to date.
" In connection with the work of revision of the revenue circulars (veteri-"
" nary), an attempt has been made to bring rules dealing "
" with contagious disease more up to date, and these are "
" now under consideration."
Pamphlet on cattle di-
sease and its prevention
issued.
" A pamphlet" Muhafiz-i-Sihat-i-Maweshi" has been issued in Urdu and "
" will shortly be available in Hindi and Gurmukhi, which "
"should prove useful for schools and distribution generally."
"It has been approved by the Director of Public Instruc-"
" tion, Punjab."
Rinderpest.
" Two thousand seven hundred and ten cases of rinderpest were reported'
" during the year, of which 1,216 died. I have not the slightest hesitation in "
"saying that these figures would have been much larger,''
"but that we were able to prevent the spread of the "
" disease by means of preventive inoculation. The figures might even have "
"been less if inoculations had been readily accepted everywhere. I have"
" no wish to complain, however, in regard to this point. Kángra is the only "
" district in which inoculation was tried, where much objection was made, and "
"there are indications that even there the prejudices of the people will"
" eventually be evercome. The great thing, of course, is to prove the utility "
" of it, and that we are endeavouring to do."
Inoculation
against
rinderpest.
" The statement of inoculation results will show that 24,457 inoculations"
" were performed against rinderpest in actual outbreaks "
" during the year, and, of inoculated animals, only two "
" died. I ascertained that these two deaths resulted from pneumonia. Beyond"
" this, my returns show that 814 contact animals died of rinderpest in the"
" course of outbreaks, including 42 animals which might probably have been''
" saved by inoculation had not the owners refused the method. When owners"
"see for themselves that inoculated animals live, whilst uninoculated get the"
" disease, they will soon realise the advantages of the method. The method"
" used was " the serum alone," regarding which I expressed my opinions last"
" year. Latterly, it has been no unusual thing for natives to ask for inocula-"
" tion, and I anticipate that, as it becomes more known, it will become more"
" popular. These results have not been obtained without hard work and the"
"exercise of a good deal of tact. I have, of late, been able to leave the work"
" more to the Veterinary Assistants themselves, and I received, at one time, a"
" good deal of assistance from two officers of the Civil Veterinary Department"
" who were attached to this office for training. Veterinary Assistants trained at"
" Muktesar have no knowledge of field work, and require to be put into the way"