The medical report for the State of Perak.

  • Selangor
Date:
[1908]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The medical report for the State of Perak. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/20
    Only one vaccinator was employed, and he undertook the work in outlying parts of the State mostly. Much good work was done from the dispensaries attached to hospitals and by the officers connected with the travelling dispensaries. Considering that the births amounted to 9,590, the number vaccinated is satisfactory. The absence of small-pox entirely during the twelve months under review, and the fact that only one case of this disease was recorded in 1907, indicates that the population of this State is now well protected. VETERINARY BRANCH. 19. Rinderpest manifested itself in the districts of Larut and Kinta. The first out¬ break was amongst newly imported Indian bullocks at the quarantine station at Port Weld in the month of March. Nine animals developed the disease and five terminated fatally. In June some Malay buffaloes, transmitted by train from Province Wellesley to Temoh in Kinta, arrived at their destination with marked symptoms of rinderpest; eight of these died and one was shot. In July there were small localised outbreaks at Tupai and Kamunting with three deaths. In the same month the most extensive outbreak of rinderpest of the year showed itself in Kinta amongst the Malay kampongs in the vicinity of Batu Gajah and along the road from that station to Gfopeng. The animals affected being Malay buffaloes. The actual number that contracted the disease could not be ascertained, and the Veterinary Surgeon estimates the deaths at about 120. The Malays permit their buffaloes to remain at large in the jungle in a semi-wild state, and it was therefore most difficult to exercise any effective control over their movement or carry out fully inoculation with anti-rinderpest serum. This also explains the high fatality. There was a recrudescence of rinderpest at Kamunting in October. Six buffaloes died. Indian Anti-rinderpest Serum.—Both the Veterinary Surgeons write highly of the value of this serum in stamping out an outbreak by conferring immunity to the contact animals in an infected herd or others within an infected area or its outskirts. At Port Weld quarantine station there was a herd of 41 buffaloes at the onset of rinderpest, and serum inoculation made it possible to save 36 of these. In connection with the Kinta outbreak 84 buffaloes were treated with serum within the area of infection, and out of these 22 only subsequently developed the disease and 19 were lost. On the borders of the area 31 buffaloes and 104 bullocks were inoculated and none of these became ill. The incident at Port Weld shows the gain to the State of having quarantine stations through which all new importations should compulsorily be made to pass and be kept under observation for a fixed period. These stations serve as efficient filters for keeping rinderpest out of the country and their value cannot be over-estimated. There is reason for presuming that the Kinta outbreak was connected with infected animals that entered the State for slaughter without a preliminary quarantine and observation. Foot-and-mouth Disease appeared near Batu Kurau and was restricted to the herd first affected. Swine Fever appeared in Larut in January. It occurs from time to time, particularly in the Tupai section, and appears to have some connection with the locality. Tuberculosis.—The Veterinary Surgeon, Mr. Moir, found eight instances of this disease in the flesh of pigs slaughtered in the abattoir at Larut. It has not been met with in other domesticated animals. Surra.—A pony, the subject of surra, was discovered at Matang and destroyed. In addition, Mr. Moir found trypanasomes in a blood smear taken from a bullock that had died from another disease at the Port Weld quarantine station. There was an absence of reports of anthrax and glanders. Veterinary Police.—The work of this small Force was so satisfactory as to suggest the advisability of augmenting their number. -< METEOROLOGY. 20. The highest temperature recorded in the shade was at Grit 96° Fahrenheit. Kampar and Lenggong come next with 94° Fahrenheit. The minimum was 62° Fahrenheit at Gopeng and Tapah. Taiping again records the highest rainfall—182.48 inches. The next highest being Selama 146.64 inches. 21. FINANCIAL. The revenue and expenditure of the department is detailed below : 1907 ... 1908 ... • M • • • • • • Ml Revenue. 815,162.50 21,478.02 Expenditure. $355,935.54 399,988.77 M. J. WEIGHT, Slate Surgeon.
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image