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825. The points to be arrived at are:—
(i).—Have we in this country the identical tick which causes the disease in
Queensland and elsewhere.
(ii).—If so, does it cause the disease in this country.
826. In accordance with a Circular addressed to all Superintendents, Civil
Veterinary Department, numerous specimens of ticks have been submitted to the
Assistant to the Inspector-General, Civil Veterinary Department, who consulted
the Trustees of the Indian Museum. As, however, but little light has been yet
thrown on the subject, I have requested that Officer to enlist the assistance of the
American Animal Bureau at Washington.
827. The following is the report on the subject received from the Assistant
to the Inspector-General, Civil Veterinary Department:—
Acting in accordance with instructions I sent a circular letter to each of the Superintendents, Civil Veterinary
Department, also a vernacular circular to the Veterinary Assistants in the Punjab, asking that a few specimens of
ticks found in cattle might be forwarded to me. I gave instructions to have the ticks placed in Glycerine. I received
specimens from the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, South Punjab, the Principal of the Ajmere Veteri-
nary School, and from the Principal of the Bombay Veterinary College. I also received a large number of specimens
in boxes from the Veterinary Assistants all over the Punjab,
In March 1.898, I proceeded to Calcutta in order to investigate the different specimens of ticks in consultation with
the Superintendent, India Museum. I regret to have to report that I was unable to obtain any information, nor
was I able to find any literature bearing upon the subject. I therefore propose sending good specimens from four or
five localities far apart, preserved in Glycerine, also mounted between glass in Canada balsam to America and
Australia for identification. The specimens will comprise those in various stages of development.
Veterinary-Lieutenant Baldery, Officiating Principal of the Bombay Veterinary College, sent me specimens of
urine and blood, (dried on glass) also some ticks, with a letter of which the following is an extract:—
'A case came into hospital yesterday which may interest you as you are working at ticks. A black half-bred
Mysore bullock, 5 years old, working for the Western India Turf Club on the race course, was admitted for Hœmoal-
bumenaria or ordinary Red Water. I send you samples of ticks found on him, blood of the bullock, blood of the
ticks, and urine of the bullock, all on slides dried and in Glycerine. The bullock was well nourished. Temperature
101-103. respiration normal, pulse weak, visible mucous membrane pale, appetite good, ruminations regular, bowels
inclined to be constipated, but fœces of natural color. Urine contained a large amount of Albumen and was loaded
with blood. He suffered no irritation from the presence of the ticks.'
I very carefully examined the specimens of blood and urine which were sent to me and could find no trace of the
micro-organism which is so fatal in Texas Fever and in Australia.
In a communication received from Mr. Gordon, Chief Inspector of Stock, Queensland, dated Brisbane, 14th
March 1898, he states:—
'It was generally anticipated that the recent rains would have the effect of largely extending the tick into
hitherto clean districts, and. would be an exciting cause of tick fever in districts already infested, but up to the
present, fortunately, such has not been the case. The ticks have during the last eighteen months only extended a
distance of forty-eight miles south of Rock Hampton along the main road to Gladstone, a small centre of infection
having been discovered at Raglan. Ticks have recently been discovered on a selection at Calliungall, which is the
most southerly point the ticks have yet reached. The extention of the pest west ward in the central zone has been
comparatively slow owing no doubt to the maintenance of a north and south quarantine line along the coast range.
The most westerly infected country in the eastern division of the central zone is Boolburra in the south, and
Grosvenor Downs in the north, at which latter plexperimentsace Inspector Hancock reported having discovered a few ticks.'
828. It is interesting to note that according to the latest inoculation
experiments conducted by Dr. Hunt in the North, and Mr. Pound in the South of
Queensland, it may be accepted as having been placed beyond a doubt that the
injection of blood from a recovered animal into susceptible healthy cattle effectually
protects them from the fever when placed in contact with infection.
Rabies.
829. Veterinary-Captain Pease in his report on the Lahore Veterinary School,
states:—
It may not be out of place here to draw attention to the severe outbreak of Rabies which has occurred in
Lahore during the past year. We have had fifty cases sent to this hospital where they have been destroyed. For-
tunately numbers of them suffered from the dumb form. Some persons have been bitten and left for Pasteur's
Institute in Paris for treatment.
It is to be regretted that more correct statistics concerning the prevalence of
this formidable disease are not available from the whole of India.
830. Two cases of Rabies, one of a camel and the other of a dog, occurred
in the camp of the Assistant to Inspector-General, Civil Veterinary Department,
while halting at Jhelum. Both animals were bitten by a stray dog 42 days pre-
viously, and both cases occurred about the same time. The paroxysms in the camel
where extremely severe. It tore its own flesh and bit to pieces a strong salita with
which it was covered. It died after an illness of two days. The dog was shot.
Bacteriological
Survey.
831. Veterinary-Captain Gunn, Assistant to the Inspector-General, Civil
Veterinary Department, toured through four districts in the Punjab during last cold
weather, so that up to the present time fifteen districts have been surveyed, viz:
Hissar, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Delhi, Kurnal, Umballa, Ludhiana, Ferozepore, Lahore,
Amritsar, Jullhinder, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Sialkot and Gujrat It will, there-
fore, be seen that considerable progress has been made in the Bacteriological Survey