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III.—CATTLE DISEASE INVESTIGATION AND PREVENTION .
7. As remarked in last year's report, the time of the Superintendents was
so fully occupied with their duties in connection with horse and mule-breeding
that they were able to give very little attention to the investigation and
prevention of cattle disease. Neither of them has been able to personally
investigate any epidemic on the spot though, as shown in Table M, rinderpest
and other virulent forms of cattle disease were present in epidemic form
in 15 out of the 18 districts of the South Punjab, where out of 20,267 cases
of rinderpest 12,465 were fatal, and in all 13 districts of the North Punjab,
where there were 5,317 fatal cases. The Superintendent, South Punjab, is of
opinion that the reports do not represent half the amount of cattle disease that
actually existed.
The Superintendent, North Punjab, writes (paragraph 25)—
"During the past year I have taken no personal part in investigating any out-
break of cattle disease owing to my time being fully taken up with work connected with
horse-breeding. Besides, so slow are the people in realising that they have an outbreak
of disease in their midst, that before the report has filtered through the various channels
of information to my office the outbreak has died out, such being frequently the case
on the Veterinary Assistant attached to my office being sent to the seat of the outbreak,
when the disease has been found to have worked itself out."
Personally, I believe, that the tardiness of the people to report such
outbreaks is due to their having no confidence in the remedial measures usually
adopted, and their wish to avoid the attendant trouble and inconvenience.
Next to rinderpest, anthrax which appeared in a more or less epidemic form in
24 districts, was the most fatal disease. There were 4,013 cases and 2,996 deaths
reported. Amritsar, Shahpur and Lahore were the districts chiefly affected. Foot-
and-mouth disease showed itself in 26 districts, but not in a very virulent form.
There were 13,039 cases reported, of which only 500 died. This is a disease which
the people themselves know how to treat. Pleuro-pneumonia was reported from
11 districts. There were 233 cases and 66 deaths. " Other diseases" account
for 31,645 cases and 2,965 deaths. The total for all diseases is 79,241 cases
and 24,322 deaths. Last year the figures were 112,701 cases and 27,089
deaths, which fits in with what one generally hears from the people, that
during the year cattle suffered more from starvation than from disease.
The Kángra district was the heaviest sufferer—3,358 cattle having died
from rinderpest alone. The treatment of these diseases was left almost
entirely in the hands of the District Board Veterinary Assistant whose work
is confined mainly to segregation and disinfection of diseased animals and
advising cattle owners as to the best means of preventing the spread of the
epidemic. The Superintendent, North Punjab, states that though in Lahore,
Jhelum, Siálkot, Gujránwála and Shahpur there is a Veterinary Assistant in each
tahsíl, they are unable to cope with the many sporadic outbreaks that occur,
and of course in other districts with a weaker staff the state of things is much
worse. The fact is, I think, now clearly established that till the working of
these Veterinary Assistants—of whom there are now 78 employed by District
Boards at a cost for salaries alone of over Rs. 1,800 per mensem—is directed and
controlled by a skilled supervising agency, they will make little headway even
against the simpler form of cattle disease.
This skilled supervision cannot apparently be looked for from the
present Superintendents, Civil Veterinary Department, who have very little
time to spare from their horse-breeding duties. The matter has recently been
under the consideration of Government, and a scheme for the appointment of a
third Superintendent solely for work connected with cattle and cattle disease
suggested. The organisation of a superior branch of the subordinate Veterinary
establishments, selected from men who had gone through a third year's course in
English in the Veterinary College, and would, under the Veterinary Superin-
tendents for Cattle, supervise the District Veterinary Assistant, has been the
subject of correspondence with the Imperial Government. If sanction can
be obtained and funds provided for these two schemes, then much will
have been done to put the veterinary system in the Province on a satisfactory
footing.