ANNUAL REPORT OP THE CIVIL VETERINARY DEPARTMENT BENGAL FROM
THE YEAR 1895-96.
No. 231V.D., dated Belgatohia, the 28th April 1896.
From—VETERINARY-CAPTAIN W. D. GUNN, Superintendent of the Civil Veterinary
Department, Bengal,
To—The Director of the Department of Land Records and Agriculture, Bengal.
WITH reference to your No. 42SA, dated 27th March 1896, I have the
honour to submit herewith my annual report on the working of the Bengal
Veterinary Institution and the Civil Veterinary Department in this Province
during the year 1895-96. Although both departments have been included in
one report, the description of the work done in each has been kept separate
for better reference.
In the appendix will be found much valuable information which has been
collected during the year.
I also beg to enclose with the report a copy of the statement showing the
provincial expenditure of this Department for the year under report, as
furnished by the Accountant-General, Bengal, with intimation that a revised
one will be submitted as soon as the discrepancies in connection with certain
expenditure shown therein have been reconciled by this office.
BENGAL VETERINARY INSTITUTION.
THE Bengal Veterinary Institution has just completed its second year of existence
and the first of its maturity, the students who entered at its inauguration having been
examined for their certificates. After a searohing examination by a board of examiners 12
students passed a satisfactory examination, and are now eligible for appointment as Veteri-
nary Assistants. This beginning, 12 having passed out of 19 candidates, or more than
63 per cent., may be considered good and very encouraging.
2. Moreover, the Institution hospital is being made more use of by the poorer classes
and in this way much practice will be obtained for the students. During the year under
report 432 horses and ponies, 234 head of cattle, G2 dogs and 45 sheep, goats and deer
making a total of 773 animals, were treated in the hospital of the Institution (Appondix A),
as against 663 admitted during 1894-95. This steady increase may certainly be considered
as matter for congratulation, and there is every reason to believe, based upon our past
experience, that the number of admissions will still steadily increase.
3. The Institution has only been in existence two years, and is still quite in its infancy
and it may be safely expected that in course of time the Institution will become popular
with all owners of animals who have the comfort of their animal slaves at heart. The
number of cattle in-patients has, I regret to report, very much fallen off. The number
treated during the year 1894-95 as in-patients was 129 as against 61 for the immediate past
year. The out-patients for the year 1894-95 numbered 183, while the number brought this
year for treatment only reached 173. One probable explanation for this is that in the former
year the Commissariat Department sent a large number of their sick cattle from Dum-Dum
to the Institution for medical care, while this year the number of patients from this
source was few. It is hoped that the Commissariat Department will continue to send
their sick animals to this hospital, as it will afford much practice to the students and
there is every appliance for the carefnl treatment and nursing of animals, and trained
assistants constantly watching the cases. Cattle practice is extremely important as a part
of the Veterinary Instruction, and as this branch of their profession will probably form
the main work of Veterinary Assistants employed by District Boards, it is desirable to.
obtain as many boviue patients as possible.
4. There have been only a few deaths of horse and pony patients, as may be seen by
a glance at Appendix A-l. In the previous year there were 201 in-patients and 84 out-
patients as against 269 in-patients and 163 out-patients treated this year. The daily average
throughout the year was 42 as against 31 of the previous year.
5. During the year several improvements have been made in the grounds and buildings,
the most important of which has been that a constant and good supply of filtered water is
supplied to the Institution; and in order to restrain the servants from wasting the water
stringent rules have been enforced, and the supply has been turned off at the meters between
6 P.M. and 6 A.M daily. This ample supply of good water is a great boon to the Institution
and no doubt aids the recovery of many medical and surgical oases.
6 The Guinea grass plot has also been a great boon to many of the sick animals, and by
this means a fair supply of succulent green grass is obtainable throughout the year.
The