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veterinary hospitals in the district (except one at head-
quarters) was arrived at, at the commencement of the year
under report. Like Hazara District only one Chaukidar was
retained by the District Board at each of those hospitals
where the Veterinary Assistants are endeavouring to carry
on the work with the instruments that are available and
the medicines which the well-to-do zamindars can afford to
buy for the treatment of their sick animals.

The closing of the hospitals and the great difficulty in
maintaining those mentioned above, without the necessary
staff and financial help, must undoubtedly have a very dis-
couraging effect on the Zamindars of the districts concerned
towards the breeding of both horse and cattle — the people
knowing as they do that if an outbreak of contagious or
infectious disease should occur, prompt professional aid
would not be available and if eventually it could be obtained
the great delay caused must lead to the death of a number
of their animals and in many cases the disease would have
run its course before preventive measures could be adopted.
At the present time the treatment of non-contagious cases
must of necessity be abolished where the hospitals are
already closed down. In those places where the hospitals
are still kept open without the help of the District Board
concerned, I am of opinion that proper attention and
treatment cannot be administered.

It will be seen from Table II that during the year
under report, 16,668 cases of contagious diseases were
reported out of which number 1,183 died compared with
7,502 cases and 476 deaths during the previous year.

The figures show that cases of contagious diseases have
increased by double the number and deaths resulting from
these diseases have increased by nearly three times the
number of the previous year.

This in my opinion is due to a great extent to the
considerable reduction of the already insufficient staff which
has taken place during the last few years and also to the
closing down of certain hospitals.