138
thin emaciated appearance and irritable temper
and excited look are very characteristic. The
effects of bhang drinking are different from those
of ganja or charas. It takes a little longer time
to produce the intoxicating effects. Bhang
drinker is not so irritable and thin and emaciated
as the ganja or charas smoker. Pleasant delirium
and stupor are characteristics of bhang.
39. Bhang drinking or eating is less injurious
than the smoking of ganja or charas.
40. (a) Bhang leaves are used by the Vaids in
preparing medicines for chronic diarrhœa and
dysentery. Bhang leaves are also used as poulti-
ces to the painful piles or as fomentation to the
painful parts.
(5) Bullocks, cows, horses, and buffaloes, when
they do not eat grass or fodder, are given bhang
to the extent of a chatack or two. It is also
given when they are over-worked or tired,
41. Moderate use of bhang, whether habitual
moderate use or occasional moderate use, may be
beneficial in its effects as a food accessory and to
givestaying-power und er severe exertion or ex-
posure, or to alleviate fatigue.
And the moderate occasional use of ganja and
charas may be beneficial in its effect to give staying-
power under severe exertion or exposure, or to
alleviate fatigue, and in certain unhealthy tracts
of malaria it is used in prevention of the disease.
The Chaubeys of Muttra are known as great
eaters, and when they get any invitation to a meal,
they take a cup of bhang, and after this they
enjoy their favourite sweetmeats, para and burfi,
to the extent of about 1½ seers or two.
The kahars and mallas, who have to work very
hard, can bear the fatigue very well after a chillum
of charas or ganja. In Bengal, I have seen the
boatmen, who have to work very hard almost the
whole day at oar or to pull the boat with ropes
against the tides, can bear the fatigue well after
a dose of ganja or charas. In all these cases I
mean the occasional moderate use.
44. On a habitual consumer the immediate
effect of a moderate dose of bhang is exhilaration
of spirit with congestion of conjunctivæ and
glistening of eyeball. He feels refreshed, and
then it induces pleasant imaginations. He forgets
all cares and anxieties. But feels jolly and happy.
With a moderate dose in a habitual the intoxica-
tion is very slight. The Chaubes after taking
their usual cup of bhang will go on with their
athletic exercises with great alacrity. It gives
them good appetite, and they like sweet things,
which they can take in an unusual large quantity.
Acids destroy the effect of bhang. The effect of
moderate dose lasts for about 5 or 6 hours; if
they get sufficient quantity of good food, it has
no after-effect. Want of subsequent gratification
produces uneasiness.
The effect of moderate dose of ganja or charas
in a habitual smoker is the exhilaration of spirit.
The conjunctivæ become injected with glistening
of the eyeball. He forgets cares and all an-
xieties. There is a sort of dry sensation in the
nose and throat. Then all sorts of pleasant
imaginations are induced. Slight perspiration sets
in. He never loses his sense. Will answer ques-
tions rationally. After about an hour he feels
hungry, and if he gets good and sufficient quantity
of food, there is no after-effect. The intoxicating
power of ganja lasts for about 1½ hours, and that
of charas for 3 hours.
45. The habitual moderate use of bhang has
no injurious effect on constitution, or on the mental
or moral faculties. By moderate use I mean to
say a quautity from ½ to 1 drachm. Good bhang
is sold here about 12 annas per seer, so that a
pice worth of bhang ought to last for about 4 or 5
days. It does not appear to impair the constitution.
It does not injure digestion, but increases the
appetite. It does not cause dysentery, bronchitis,
or asthma. It does not affect the moral sense or
induce habits of immorality or debauchery. In
fact, such habits are due to excessive dose of
bhang and not to moderate dose. It is known
that even a moderate dose of bhang taken habi-
tually will induce habits of laziness. But this
depends upon the habits of the man. A man of
active habit will work as vigorously as possible
with a cup of moderate dose of bhang. The
vivid examples of this are the Chaubes of Muttra,
who are using bhang from generations and they all
appear to be in good health, having a strong good
physique and well symmetrical appearance. They
are all great eaters. As regards their moral
character, they are very peaceful and law-abiding.
Theft and other crimes are very few among
them. As regards their intellectual power, they
are somewhat dull. But this is owing to want
of education among them. As for insanity, cases
of acute mania are not common among the Chau-
bes. During my experience of seven years in this
district I have come to know of only one case of
acute mania from the moderate use of bhang.
Ganeshi Chaube was brought to the Dispensary
here in May 1886 suffering from symptoms of
acute mania. He used to take bhang, but not in
excessive quantity as far as I could ascertain. But
in this case the bhang was only an exciting cause,
the predisposing cause being that he was deprived
of his family income by his cousin Jema. This
man is now perfectly well.
Moderate use of charas and ganja has some
injurious effect on the constitution as well as on
the mental and moral condition. But the evil
effects of charas and ganja appear to be exagger-
--ted. In fact, they are all due to excessive doses
of the drugs. There are hundreds among the
kahars, mallas and other lower classes, and even
some among the higher classes, who with a habi-
tual moderate dose of charas or ganja keep their
health well and live a long life, and it does not
affect their moral or mental condition. But it is
difficult for a ganja or charas smoker to keep
within moderate limit. In most cases, say almost
three-fourths of the smokers will go to excess, and
then all the evil effects will follow. I can show
many cases who for some years in their life are
taking ganja or charas in moderate quantity, and
they are keeping their health well, and their mental
and moral condition are as good as those of any
other people.
46. Bhang when taken in excessive quantity
habitually does not appear to iujure the constitu-
tion to any very marked extent. The only thing
complained by the habitual excessive cousumers
of bhang are that it produces badi, that is to say
rheumatic pain all over the body. It does not
cause dysentery, bronchitis, or any other particu-
lar disease which may be ascribed to excessive
bhang drinking. But it deadens the intellect
and produces laziness. There are many among
these excessive consumers of bhang who are very
irritable in temper and appear to be almost chron-
ically inebriated: cases of acute mania also occur
among these, and in many of these ca?es I should
say that the excessive bhang is the exciting as
well as the predisposing cause of the derange-
ments. On looking to the statistics of the jail
here for the criminal lunatics, I find that during