10

                                       CHAPTER III.

                                Treatment of diseases.

37.  Incidence of Contagious Diseases.—If the incidence
of contagious cattle diseases in Bihar and Orissa is traced
through the annual report figures, it will appear that since
the year 1927-28, there has been a marked tendency for its
decline except that of foot and mouth disease. During the
course of the past eight years, the figure of 8,394 outbreaks
reported in 1927-28 has come down to 4,158, or to less than
half the number, in 1934-35. A study of the disease maps
attached to the reports will also show that the outbreaks of
all the deadly forms of diseases such as rinderpest, hæmorrha-
gic septicæmia, anthrax and blackquarter have considerably
declined in extent compared with the outbreaks of the previous
years. This is another instance which indicates that these
diseases are being kept, as much as possible, under control.

In spite of the satisfactory condition just stated, rinder-
pest has been reported in all the districts except Shahabad,
Cuttack and Puri, while hæmorrhagic septicæmia in all but
one viz., Angul. The condition of Sambalpur is reported to
have been as bad as in the year 1933-34. Foot and mouth disease
prevailed all over the Province. The total number of deaths
recorded in all the outbreaks amounted to more than fourteen
thousands. While much allowance should be made for better
reporting of the mortalities in recent years, the number of
deaths should also be reduced by more intensive measures,
and this can only be done, other things being the same, by
strengthening the touring staff of the department. For the
last five years or so, very few posts of touring veterinary
assistant surgeons could be sanctioned, while it was most
unfortunate that some local bodies abolished a number
of the third posts on financial grounds. In order that the
activities of the department can be made more readily acces-
sible to the raiyats the question of increasing its subordinate
staff, especially the touring veterinary surgeons, should
receive the earliest attention of local bodies.

38. During the year, altogether 4,158 outbreaks were
reported, and in those outbreaks, out of a total number of
122,840 animals affected, 14,539 died, as compared with 5,865
outbreaks, 108,454 attacks and 14,973 deaths recorded during
1933-34. Foot and mouth disease was responsible for 1,777
outbreaks affecting 95,984 animals out of the total number.
Compared with the previous year's figures, the number of out-
breaks further decreased by 1,707, although foot and mouth