328
118. Evidence of Hospital Assistant S.ARUNANUNTHUM, Vizagapatam.
Oral evidence.
I am Resident Hospital Assistant of the Lunatic
Asylum at Vizagapatam. I have been in the ser-
- v i c e t w e l v e y e a r s , a n d h a v e b e e n n e a r l y t w o y e a r s i n
my present post. The procedure in this asylum is
that when a lunatic is received I look through the
papers and show the writer the Form C which con-
-tains the points that have to be entered in the co-
-lumns of the General Register. The writer then
fills in these columns, and I am responsible that the
entries are correctly made. I look over the entries
he has made. Indeed, since the beginning of 1893
I have made the entries in the register with my
own hand. The Superintendent does not compare
the register entries with the entries in Form C. I
am responsible that this work is correctly done.
If anything is found deficient, especially in regard
to the occupation of the lunatic and the cause of
insanity, I bring the matter to the notice of the
Superintendent, so that he may write to the Magis--
trate for the information. This is in accordance
with printed orders of the Surgeon-General. The
Magistrate replies; and entry is made in the re
-gister accordingly. Whatever cause is shown in
Form C, or afterwards communicated by the Ma--
gistrate in reply to our enquiry, is entered in col--
umn 11 of the General Register. If the Magis--
trate does not give and cannot ascertain the cause,
but says it is unknown, an entry to that effect
is made. I then keep the matter before me, and
try, when friends come, or by examination of the
lunatic when that is possible, to find out the cause,
for Government is very anxious to have the cause
ascertained in all cases and makes notices of censure
in the annual printed report when the cause is not
ascertained in the majority of cases. Before en--
tering a cause thus ascertained by me, I would tell
the Superintendent. As a rule I also keep the
friends for the Superintendent to see.
As a rule, we would never enter any cause
without first writing to the Magistrate. But in
the case of Thottaya, one of the admissions for
1893, the Superintendent has authorised my enter--
ing the cause as ganja smoking, because the patient
himself says he is addicted to ganja. He does not
say his insanity is due to ganja, but he cannot give
any cause. He is not quite sane. He was not
asked how much ganja he took. We could not
await information from the Magistrate, as the
annual report was being prepared.
In the case of Pasupuleti, admitted in 1892,
the cause was entered as "ganja eating alva ,"
without any further inquiry, because the entry of
" moral " by the Civil Surgeon of Rajahmundry
was clearly a misconception. He did not enter
the particular kind of moral cause. I took the
cause therefore from the entry under "Evidence of
Insanity "* in Form C. In this same Form C
it is entered that it is unknown whether the in--
sanity is hereditary or not. But the mother, who
visited the patient in the year 1892, told me his
grandfather was insane. I then entered this on
the papers, and told the Superintendent. But 1
made no entry in the register, for I could not
alter the entry already made there.
119. Evidence of MIRZA DAVOOD BEG, Pensioned Hospital Assistant,
Trichinopoly.
3. It grows in Jawadi's hills, Salem district,
spontaneously.
4. It is known by the name of ganja only in
this district, and is applicable to the same plant.
5. Wild hemp generally grows in temperate
climate, black soil, rainfall and elevated spots.
6. The ordinary growth of wild hemp is gener-
-ally scattered.
7. There is no cultivation of hemp plant in this
district.
8. There has been no increase or decrease of
area for its cultivation in this part.
9. The seeds are scattered first in a cultivated
land in groups, and then transplant them.
10. The persons who cultivate hemp are of the
same classes as other agricultural cultivators.
11. Ganja is always obtained from cultivating
the seeds of wild hemp.
12. Wild hemp is not cultivated anywhere this
side for the production of ganja.
13. The cultivation of the hemp plant is not
restricted at all in this district ; even the people
do not like to cultivate it without license, and
t h i n k I h i l l y t r a c t s wi l l b e p r e f e r a b l e f o r s u c h , a s
Putchav Malay.
14. None of the products of the hemp plant is
prepared in this district.
15. The three varieties of hemp, such as ganja,
charas and bhang, with their definitions as given in
Dr. Prain's report of 21st June 1893, are quite
correct, and accepted in this district.
16. Yes, bhang is prepared by the people at
their quarters from the dried product of the hemp,
when it is required, and not at the place of growth.
Ganja and charas are prepared only from the wild
plant where it is produced.
17. Any class of hilly tribe who are accustomed
to prepare it.
18. Ganja and charas can be kept up for a year,
but not the bhang, which is to be consumed with-
- i n t w o h o u r s ; e x p o s u r e t o o p e n a i r l o s e s i t s e f f e c t .
19. Ganja and charas used only for smoking
and the latter more in up-countries than in this
part, as it is not obtainable here.
20. Ganja is smoked by the debauched natives
of this part, and charas by Chinese and Sikhs,
being rather valuable.
21. Flat ganja only is used here, and sometimes
chur or bruised powder.
22. Natives use charas prepared in North-West
Provinces.
23. Bhang is used only for drinking purposes ;
it is like an infusion mixed with milk, sugar and
some aromatics. Some of the Musalmans, Hindus
and Rajputs of Madras, Vellore and Arcot, etc.,
use it in a limited manner.
24. The above-mentioned class of people, only
* This entry is, " His condition appeared to me at first mainly due to the abuse of ganja, an enforced abstinence
from which greatly improved his state and left him calm and coherent. At the close of the time of observation,
however, he again became excited and noisy, this alternating with periods of sullen silence and others of foolishness.
The disease is evidently recurrent. "