6
meetings were held at Lahore, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Lyallpur and Ferozepore.
The Chief Superintendent has observed a distinct improvement in professional
knowledge amongst the old Veterinary Assistants. The following men were
sent from Bengal to learn Punjab methods of working.
1.
2.
3.
B. N. Dass Gupta.
S. K. Mitra.
M. S. Chowdri.
6. As during the past year the Department has been giving lectures
and demonstrations on veterinary matters in villages, the people are now
awakening to the fact that it can and will do a great deal for their cattle if
they" will only report outbreaks of contagious diseases more punctually, and
also take their animals to the hospital for treatment before they get beyond
the hope of recovery.
Part II.—Treatment of Diseases.
(I)—CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
Table II.
7. During the year under report 34,129 deaths from contagious diseases
were reported in the Province against 26,792 in the
previous year.
There is still a great deal of uphill work to do in some villages where
the people are superstitious and will not allow inoculations to be performed.
Veterinary Inspectors have specially been ordered to visit these villages, and
explain thoroughly to the people the benefits to be derived by having their
cattle inoculated.
8. The department is still very often handicapped by not receiving
reports of outbreaks of contagious diseases in time. Sometimes this is due
to the Patwaris, and at other times due to the people themselves being too
lazy to report to Patwaris. The Chief Superintendent has observed cases
of illness in villages and, on making enquiries from the owners, is told that the
animal has been sick for over a week. The reason for not reporting is shaid
kal thek hojaenge. This "kal etc.", with a non-contagious case means the
loss of an animal to its owner, but in the case of a contagious case it means the
loss of several animals in the village.
Equines.
9. During the year no cases of glanders have been detected on the
Tonga lines between Pathankot and Dalhousie, and Pathankot and Dharmsala,
which shows that the disease has been stamped out. If the Manager of the
line only carries out the instructions of this department, and has each newly
purchased horse isolated and tested before mixing with the other horses, he
will save his Company a great deal of unnecessary loss and this Department
unnecessary trouble. Three cases of glanders were detected on the Rawalpindi
Kohala Road: the outbreak was dealt with by the Superintendent North
Punjab.
10. Glanders has been prevalent in other portions of the Punjab, viz.,
Lahore, Amritsar, Delhi and Gurgaon. At the direction of the Government
of India this Department took over the duties of dealing with equine contagious
diseases in the Lahore Army Remount Department circle, as glanders was
getting out of hand and the Army Remount Department was too short of
officers to cope with it. The Civil Veterinary Department is also short of 40
men, but the Department in spite of this is tackling the disease on sound
lines. Regarding the Lahore and Amritsar outbreaks, the Chief Superintend-
ent made a thorough investigation into the matter and arrived at the conclu-
sion that public watering troughs were the death traps for infection. All
watering troughs were closed and hackney carriage owners requested to
carry a bucket with each conveyance. Matters did not end here; the Depart-
ment has inspected, and is inspecting, all equines belonging to both the European
and the Indian public, dealers, gariwalas, kumhars and sweepers.