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I can find nothing about the case, and can give no
information.
In two cases (No. 2 and No. 7) we have not
very full evidence ; but it seems clear that the
lunatics used charas, and the symptoms are consist-
ent with the theory that the drug was the cause
of insanity. In three cases only (No. 1, No. 9 and
No. 10) I have been able to get full and clear inform-
ation. This is given in detail at the close of my
report. The questions (ten in number) were sent
by me to Deputy Commissioners, and they recorded
the answers, except in case No. 10, where I recorded
them. These answers contain all the information
that I received from Deputy Commissioners. I
have not asked any question as to any other cause.
The only questions that might touch other causes
are question 8, as to whether the man showed any
signs of insanity before he took the drug, and
question 6, as to whether the resumption of the
drug led to recurrence. I have not touched the
question of heredity or epilepsy or other cause.
But in question No. 5 I have asked about the "form"
of the mania, so as to judge whether it was really
like a charas case. My object was not precisely
to eliminate all other causes, but to get full inform-
ation about the cases. That is, I started with
the presumption that they were hemp drug cases,
because they were so entered in the asylum books ;
and I desired to get all facts about them, so that
we might have full history and details of hemp
drug cases. The process of enquiry has led to the
elimination of several ; but in respect to the others
it has given us facts of value in connection with
hemp drug insanity. I would specially instance
the recurrence of the insanity in two cases with
resumed charas habit, and the complete cure in the
third case.
In the majority of cases, these hemp drug cases
come before me in the acute stage. The symptoms
described by me in my answer No. 45 (end of
paragraph 1) are those of acute insanity due to
charas. These symptoms are peculiar to this form
of insanity and are quite diagnostic, I consider.
I think that all these symptoms found together
indicate toxic insanity of this kind. I would
specially draw attention to the kind of violence.
The man knocks himself about, is violent, and
cannot be restrained ; but I have never seen him
do harm to any one else. I do not think that any
one symptom is peculiar to this form of insanity ;
but I diagnose the case not by one symptom, but
by the whole train of symptoms. You always get all
those I have mentioned in my answer. The lunatic
perhaps does not both sing and weep, but he does one
or other ; and he has all the other symptoms more
or less, though you do not, of course, get two cases
exactly the same. I do not think all these symp-
toms can be present in other insanity. I have
never found them all without a distinct history
of charas-smoking. I have never found in any
case with established charas history exaltation as
a symptom, i.e., the idea that the man is some-
thing great. The duration of these cases varies
a great deal. I have had some that lasted in
a state of violent insanity for several months,
and some only for a few days, but the tendency
is always to improvement, though they may last
for months.
I do not think there are any typical symptoms
in the chronic forms of insanity associated with
hemp drugs.
I think that in the majority of cases I could
diagnose the case in the acute stage without the
history. I could diagnose and get the history
afterwards. In the chronic cases history is dis-
tinctly necessary. The chronic cases amount
simply to dementia,
In calling charas the exciting cause only, I
mean that I do not think charas would cause insa-
nity without a predisposition to it. In other-
Words, I think a predisposing- cause is necessary.
I am acquainted with the forms of insanity
known in Europe as " transient mania." The differ-
ence between transient mania, as I have seen it in
my Indian experience, and toxic insanity is that
there seems to be a particular hallucination or delu-
sion in the former. The man will give you a plau-
sible, though perhaps imaginary, explanation of his
making a noise, or tell you what his grief is; the
toxic lunatic will not. He will not answer you at
all ; or, if he does, he will talk incoherent nonsense.
I think there is a sharp line of demarcation in the
symptoms. I have had a great many cases of
transient mania in the asylum. I have had a case
of transient mania with a history of hemp drugs.
I have such a case now with a history of an occa-
sional use of charas abandoned for some time. I
have had in the asylum cases of temporary mania
with boys of about ten or twelve years (even
younger). It had all the symptoms which I have
described in answer No. 45, and there was a dis-
tinct charas history. I do not think mania other
than toxic mania is found in children, though
idiotcy is.
Taking the cases of 1892, the determination of
cause rested on the descriptive rolls. We always
enter in the column about alleged cause what the
papers say. Where the papers say "charas,'' I
would enter charas as the alleged cause simply
because it was alleged. I do not understand the
entry of " ganja" as the cause in several of the
1892 cases. It was no doubt in the police papers,
probably loosely for " hemp." But history subse-
quently ascertained in one case (No. 2) shows that
he did smoke ganja as well as charas. I have
never seen ganja. I have seen charas constantly.
My impression is that ganja is not used in the
neighbourhood of Delhi. I can only speak with
certainty about that neighbourhood, as I have not
studied the matter elsewhere,
Question 45.—After the first two sentences of
my answer No. 45, the rest should go under ques-
tion No. 46. In using the words " seldom or never
homicidally inclined," I mean merely that I have
not seen enough of cases of insanity to justify
my using the word " never " alone. I have never
seen a case of homicidal tendency.
Question 46.—For "insane" the word "weak-
minded " should be substituted. My experience of
charas smokers is in the asylum and in the jails,
In the jails, I find them utterly useless. The man
tells you he smokes, because he hopes to get off
work, for a charas smoker is a useless man with rot-
ten physique : he is emaciated and unfit for hard
labour. My remark applies to moderate as well as
excessive smokers. I know a fakir who professes
to be a moderate smoker. I do not know where to
draw the line between moderate and immoderate
It really depends on how often, and how rapidly
a man inhales the smoke from his chillum.