The Outbreaks of Rinderpest in Selangor in 1903 and 1904. 
No addition has been made to the knowledge of the causation of 
Rinderpest or of the organism producing it, but the course of the outbreaks, 
the conditions under which it spreads and the relative susceptibilities of 
various breeds of animals are points of interest. . 
I have confined my accounts to those of the outbreaks in Selangor as 
these I was able to follow. From the information placed at my disposal as 
regarding outbreaks elsewhere I conclude that in the mam the conditions 
were similar and the main conclusions I draw are essentially similar to 
those on which previous action by the Government Veterinary Surgeons, 
Messrs. Moir and Ford, has been based in the past. 
Epidemics have been numerous and destructive in the past, and for 
some time a doubt had been entertained by some as to whether the disease 
was Rinderpest or Haemorrhagic Septicaemia. This doubt was sufficient to 
discourage attempts at serum treatment in any form. A series of attempts 
to locally prepare a serum did not give sufficiently satisfactory results to be 
conclusive to others of its value or to render its adoption general. 
It is necessary before considering the disease to mention the mam 
breeds of cattle in the Peninsula, but crosses are common. There are five 
main breeds, Siamese, Indian and Bali bullocks and Malay and Indian 
buffaloes. 
1 Siamese cattle are small sturdy beasts standing about 12 hands and 
weHhin^ about 500 lbs. The horns are short and slightly curved so as to 
point upwards and forwards. They diverge widely. In colour they are 
yellow or brown, and a smaller variety, Kedah cattle, are black. They are 
rarely if ever white. The skin and hair in texture resemble that of English 
breeds. 
2 Indian cattle are larger animals standing sometimes up to 14 hands 
and weighing up to 700 lbs. The horns are long and curve backwards or 
forwards. They diverge little. They are frequently white, but may be 
dark brown, or mottled, and are rarely yellow. They usually show' some 
indication of a hump. 
These breeds cross freely. 
3. The Bali bullock has not been imported into the country except for 
beef. The original breed is not known, but it has been crossed with the 
Borneo Sladang, Bos sundinacus, and shows the markings and has the shape 
of that animal. 
4. The Malay buffalo, Cariboo (Malay Kerbau), is a water buffalo 
and stands some 13 hands and weighs up to 1,000 lbs. They are powerful 
beasts and used for heavy and jungle work by the Malays chiefly. The 
horns are long, slightly curved upwards, and project from each side of the 
head laterally. For two-thirds of their length they are ridged transversely. 
With the heads extended, as when charging, the horns and upper part of 
the neck are nearly in the same plane. They are usually a dirty black 
colour with a sparse covering of coarse hair. They may, however, be white. 
