PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |:||
C.O.
Reference :-
885
20 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
24014
108
No. 181.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
GOVERNOR SIR J. ANDERSON to THE EARL OF ELGIN.
(Received July 8, 1907.)
(No. 260.)
MY LORD,
Government House, Singapore, June 13, 1907. In continuation of my despatch, No. 228, of the 22nd ultimo,* I have the honour, with reference to paragraph 17 of your Lordship's circular despatch of the 26th February,† to enclose a copy of a report by the Government Veterinary Sur- geon, Singapore, on the principal animal diseases which have been recognized by him in this Settlement.
2. As regards Penang, the Government Veterinary Surgeon there enumerates the following as having come under his notice in that Settlement during the last 16 years:
Rinderpest, foot and mouth disease, farcy, glanders, swine fever, anthrax,
mange, rabies, and surra.
3. There has been an outbreak of the last-named disease in the Balik Pulau District within the last few weeks, but it was up to that time practically unknown in this country and no cases have, I understand, ever been reported in Singapore.
4. As regards the qualifications of officers at present available for the investi- gation of these diseases, the Government Veterinary Surgeons in Singapore and Penang hold diplomas of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons of Great Britain, and there are Inspectors in all these Settlements with qualifications derived from veterinary colleges in India.
I have, &c.,
SIR,
Enclosure in No. 161.
JOHN ANDERSON.
Government Veterinary Surgeon's Office, Singapore, May 22, 1907.
In reply to your letter S. of S. 1985/07 of the 17th instant, I have the honour to inform you that the principal animal diseases which I have recognised in Singa- pore are rinderpest, glanders, foot and mouth disease, contagious equine pneu- monia, epizootic lymphangitis, tuberculosis, and pyroplasmosis of cattle.
Except some pigs and goats no animals are bred in the island of Singapore to any extent; all the animals are imported from other countries, including Australia, Siam, British India, Netherlands India, China, Cochin and Indo China, Siamese Malay States, Europe, &c.
Surra has not occurred yet in horses in Singapore, but I have no doubt that it is endemic or exists in a latent form in cattle without causing any grave dis- turbance to the animals.
On one occasion I found in the blood of a bullock a very large trypanosome, which Professor Lingard, the Imperial Bacteriologist to the Government of India, to whom I sent the preparation, reports to be a new variety of the one found in India; unfortunately this animal, in spite of the most careful attention, died the day after I found the parasite.
Redwater or cattle pyroplasmosis is endemic among all the Siamese and local cattle; the parasite can always be found in the blood of cattle that are weak or infected with any other disease; it gives rise to no inconvenience in the immune animals, but if non-immune cattle are exposed to infection by ticks they develop redwater and in most cases die.
Rinderpest is always imported into Singapore; it is not endemic in the island. Tuberculosis, which is so very, prevalent among Chinese, does not exist among cattle at Singapore; I have only seen four cases since 1893 and I am of the opinion that every one had been infected by the ingestion of human discharges containing bacilli, the primary lesions in every case being intestinal.
Swine fever, anthrax, rabies, and hæmorrhagic septicemia have not occurred in Singapore to my knowledge.
There is a great variety of intestinal parasites among cattle, horses, and dogs.
† No. 93.
• No. 153.
109
Filariasis among dogs is very prevalent. I should say that almost every dog over the age of three years in Singapore has the filaria immitis in the heart.
I have also found a filaria in the peripheral blood of a bullock; this bullock has been under daily observation for the past two months, and I am making observa- tions as to the periodicity, &c., of the parasite.
The great difficulty I have to contend with in any reseach work among animals is the ignorance, apathy, and timidity of the native cattle owners, who will not, or cannot, except in very rare cases, give any information as to duration of any disease, onset of first symptoms, &c., &c., which are so necessary in research work.
With regard to qualifications for investigation into diseases, I qualified as M.R.C.V.S. in 1892, was Senior House Surgeon at the Royal Veterinary College, London, until my departure for Singapore in 1893, took the post-graduate course under Sir John McFadyean in 1905, and worked for four months in the laboratory attached to the abattoir in Aachen, Germany, while on leave in the same year.
24160
No. 162. GAMBIA.
I have, &c.,
P. S. FALSHAW, Government Veterinary Surgeon.
GOVERNOR SIR G. C. DENTON to THE EARL OF ELGIN.
(Received July 9, 1907.)
[Answered by No. 199.]
(No. 100.) MY LORD,
Government House, Bathurst, Gambia, June 14, 1907. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch circular of the 26th February last,* on the subject of putting veterinary matters on a better footing in certain of the Crown Colonies and Protectorates.
2. As your Lordship is aware, there is no Veterinary Surgeon in this Colony, though in 1906 a visit of three months was paid to it by Captain Todd, of the Army Veterinary Department, who has furnished this Government with two valuable reports on the diseases prevalent amongst animals in the Gambia.
3. As I have already pointed out, the Colony and Protectorate of the Gambia contains large numbers of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, and without question it is in horses and cattle that the people have invested the little money they have. This being so it would appear to me to be the duty of the Government to institute a veterinary service for the care of these animals but, unfortunately, the same difficulty is found in establishing it as is met with in regard to the introduction of other progressive measures, viz., want of funds, and whilst I recognise the import- ance of such a service to the people of the Protectorate, I cannot support its intro- duction when I remember the very stringent instructions with regard to economy that have been issued by your Lordship.
4. Should it, however, be deemed practicable to institute a veterinary service I beg to say that I consider the method described in the despatch under reply, which it is suggested should be followed in appointing Veterinary Surgeons, an admirable one, and I also concur in the view that the salary of junior Veterinary Officers on appointment should be from £350 to £400 per annum.
I have, &c.,
17972
No. 163.
GEORGE C. DENTON,
Governor.
SOUTHERN NIGERIA.
THE EARL OF ELGIN to ACTING GOVERNOR THORBURN.
I HAVE the honour to inform you that I have had under my consideration
(No. 556.)
SIR,
Downing Street, July 26, 1907.
• No. 93.