139
the past seven years, since 1887 to 1893, out of a
total of 58 lunatics only in two cases excessive
bhang was traced as the cause of insanity.
Excessive dose of charas or ganja when taken
habitually produces all the injurious effects on the
constitution. The habitual excessive ganja or
charas smoker is thin and emaciated in constitu-
tion. His digestion is impaired. It causes dy-
sentery, bronchitis, and asthma. It impairs the
moral character, and he becomes a debauchee. It
deadens the intellect. I have seen several cases
of insanity due to excessive ganja or charas, and
I should say that the drugs are the sole cause of
insanity in them, that is to say, they are the pre-
disposing as well as the exciting cause of insanity.
Very recently a case of acute mania came under
my observation. A man named Heranath Jogi,
aged about 20 years, was brought to me on the
15th October 1893, suffering from symptoms of
acute mania for the last 8 months. Before this
period he was perfectly well. His father and
mother are living, and he himself is married. He
was quite sober, and there was no cause of grief
or family anxiety that I could trace out by careful
enquiry. One day he met a babaji, and took a
fancy to become bis chilah. He then commenced
smoking charas in his company, and ultimately
went away from home with that babaji to Indore,
and there the symptoms of acute mania developed.
The insanity in most cases is of the type of
acute mania, which is temporary and does not
last long. In most cases a few days' stay in the
asylum or in the jail makes them all right; very
lately I had a case in the jail. A man named
Radha Syam Bairagi, about 35 years, was sent
there as an insane on the 11th September 1S93.
He was a habitual charas smoker for the last four
or five years. One day he took a very big dose of
charas and became insensible and delirious. He
was found assaulting a, crowd of people in the
street, when the police got hold of him and cha-
lanned him as an insane. The intoxicating effect
of the drug passed off soon, and since his admis-
sion to the jail he did not show any symptom of
insanity or derangement of mind. He was ulti-
mately discharged on the 14th October 1893.
Such cases are not really cases of insanity, but
of charas or ganja poisoning. Besides the above
there are cases of insanity which have come to
my observation in which ganja or charas acted as
an exciting cause of the insanity and not the
predisposing cause, the predisposing cause being
mental anxiety or grief, etc.
The symptoms of insanity are generally rein-
duced by the use of the drug after they are set
free. The typical symptoms are redness of the
conjunctiva with contraction or dilation of the
pupils. He is violent and restless, and is very
talkative. In some there is homicidal tendency,
and in some there is suicidal tendency. Some
also suffer from a sort of chronic monomania.
Insanes who have no recorded ganja history do
not easily confess this habit. He will do it after
much questioning.
In case of alleged connection between insanity
and the use of the hemp drugs, I don't think that
the use of the drugs by persons suffering from
mental anxiety or brain disease to obtain relief,
has been sufficiently considered in explaining that
connection. My impression is that many cases of
insanity which are put down to ganja or charas
smoking have some predisposing cause such as
mental anxiety, grief, etc., the ganja or charas
smoking being only an exciting cause.
I have seen men who are known as pagal or
baora are very much addicted to ganja or charas.
In fact they are men of weak intellect or born
idiots.
47. No. It has no hereditary tendency or affects
the children in any way.
48. No. It has no hereditary tendency.
49. Moderate use of bhang, charas, and ganja
are used as aphrodisiac, but few of the consumers
use them for that purpose. Prostitutes also use
them for the same purpose. When so used they
are injurious, because the excessive venery under-
mines the constitution. I believe long-continued
use of bhang, ganja or charas ultimately produces
impotence.
50. The excessive use of the drugs for aphrodi-
siac purposes produces all the injurious effects on
the constitution.
56. Bhang is used with black pepper, carda-
mom, cloves, aniseed (sonf), kadu seeds and ajwan
in cold season to increase the stimulating property
of bhang, as well as to give it a nice smell and
taste; in the hot season, khira and kukree seeds,
as well as black pepper and nutmegs, to moderate
its action and to make it a little soothing to the
stomach.
Tobacco is mixed with ganja or charas to
moderate its action, as without this the smoke is
very irritating to the throat and produces cough
and spasm of the throat.
There is a preparation of bhang called pancha-
ratni. It is a mixture of bhang, arsenic, dhatnra,
betelnut, and opium. It is considered to be luxu-
rious preparation, something like the rum punch.
It is prepared in cold season, when a small quan-
tity of this will serve the purpose of producing
the usual intoxicating effect, and when much
fluid is not liked by the people.
57. Ganja or charas I have not come to know
as being eaten or drunk.
59. Bhang, ganja, and charas in moderate doses
are beneficial to the labouring classes, who have
to undergo great fatigue and exposure to earn
their bread. They require some kind of stimu-
lant to alleviate their fatigue, and I think moderate
dose of bhang, ganja, or charas proves of immense
value to these classes. It is a very cheap stimu-
lant, and they can easily afford to pay for it.
Besides the above, the injurious effects which in
some cases arise out of the excessive dose of these
drugs are nothing as compared with the injurious
effects of alcohol, which, I fear, the people will
commence to use, in some cases at least, if repres-
sive measures are adopted against the hemp drugs;
and then it can be easily conceived what their
fate will be, because the people of India are so
poor. The hemp drugs are cheap, and it is the
only stimulant which the poor can afford to buy
and to use. As for the cases of insanity, I think
it is somewhat exaggerated. There are certainly
cases of insanity due to excessive use of these
drugs. But they are very small as compared with
the enormous population of India, I don't think
the proportion of total insanes will exceed that of
any other European country.
Oral evidence.
Question 1.—I am an Assistant Surgeon and
Officiating
Civil Surgeon, Muthra. I was edu-
vol. v
Y 2