2
at the end of June. I attribute these very excellent results to the whole staff
having worked with exceptional zeal and energy, to the presence of a European
Professor capable of taking his share in vernacular teaching, and to the annually
increasing higher standard of education amongst the students. As compared
with the previous year, the Military students did exceptionally well. The worst
students are those nominated by districts or others. In many cases these are
found far below the average in education, and, in others, they are unsuited
physically to ever become good Veterinary Assistants.
Report of the Board of
Examiners. Appendix I.
11, The report of the Board of Examiners is given as Appendix I. Atten-
tion to paragraph 3 is undoubtedly much required in order
to cope with the increased work.
Transport Dressers' Class.
12. In addition to our ordinary work, from the 1st July, a Transport
Dressers' Class of 40 men was given three months' instruc-
tion at the College Hospital.
Entrance Examination.
13. The Entrance Examination was held on the 18th April 1904. The
competition for entrance was far greater than in previous
years, about 150 men presenting themselves for selection
for 30 vacancies.
Segregation ward.
14. The new segregation ward has been completed and brought into use
during the year. Since its erection Major Pease has been
in charge, and some very important work has been done in
the direction of the investigation of the nature of diseases, of training men in the
symptoms of contagious disease, in the use of the microscope in the diagnosis
of Surra and Dourine and in the preparation of slips, &c, for examination.
Dourine.
15. Work has been continued on Dourine, a disease which has been causing
considerable losses amongst horses and which was first
diagnosed and reported on by us last year. Reports were
submitted to Government in regard to the nature and course of the disease and
suggestions made for limiting its spread. As the malady is in some cases difficult
to diagnose a number of horses have been admitted for observation and reported
on. Careful observations have also been made with a view to the study of the
disease and, if possible, to the discovery of a cure or preventive, but, so far, unsuc-
cessfully. We have had altogether 42 cases of Dourine under observation during
the year.
Surra.
16. Another very important subject which has been brought to light is
the losses which occur annually amongst camels from a
disease caused also by a Trypanosoma, viz., Surra. A report
on this disease has been submitted and the great danger which attends the pre-
sent method of dealing with it, viz., ignoring it. pointed out. The disease causes
considerable losses, much greater than is generally supposed, and is not, as a rule,
diagnosed. In some animals, its course is prolonged and the animal carries the poison
of the disease for a long time in its blood. At present no endeavour is made to
deal with it, sick and healthy camels being grazed, herded and worked together.
The disease is easily transmitted by the bite of certain flies, especially the
Tabanidae. Consequently, when these flies are numerous, and diseased and
healthy camels are grazed in Rukhs together where these flies prevail, it is easy
to understand that the disease is spread by these flies first biting the diseased and
then the healthy just as happens in the Tse Tse fly disease which closely resembles
it. The disease may, in this way, be spread to other animals, and experiments
have been made by us to prove how easily this can be done, by inoculating under
the same conditions as are secured by the bite of a fly. It has been shown that
the disease is thus readily transmitted from the camel to the pony, dog, rabbit
and buffalo. In addition to this investigation, we have examined the blood of 507
animals suspected to be suffering from Surra and have found the organism in 98.
The cases we have had in hospital suffering from this disease are—
Camels
Ponies
Dogs
Rabbits
Buffalo
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