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76. Evidence of SURGEON-LIEUTENANT-COLONEL A. J. WILLCOCKS, Civil Surgeon and
Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, and Principal, Agra Medical School, Agra.
1. Nearly twenty years' medical practice in India,
and eight years Superintendent of a Lunatic Asylum.
2. I may state at starting that I have no special
knowledge regarding the varieties of the different
preparations of the hemp plant. Any remarks I
have to offer, therefore, apply to the hemp drugs
generally, unless expressly stated otherwise.
19. Yes. The refuse of ganja is used to adulter-
ate bhang with.
20. The poorer classes of labourers—kahars, bai-
ragis, sadhus and fakirs—smoke ganja; the wealthier
prefer charas; but there is no hard-and-fast line,
and they are used pretty indiscriminately by these
classes.
22. Bokhara, Yarkand and Bhooria are the only
kinds I have heard of. They are all foreign.
23. No.
24. Bhang is always made into drink if possible;
but for want of apparatus it is also occasionally
eaten with a little " gur." It is taken in this way
as a medicine for fever.
Bhang drinking is very common in cities, where
the practice is almost universal among those castes
who do not drink spirits, especially Banias, Brah-
mins, Chobeys, etc. The sepoy caste nearly all
drink bhang.
25. I speak from hearsay. It is on the decrease
owing to the duty.
26. I have no knowledge on this point.
27. Bhang in India takes the place of spirits in
Europe; and even here those who take spirits don't
use bhang much.
28. (a) Bhang one pice a week, charas and ganja
a pice a day.
(b) Bhang one pice a day, charas and ganja
2 to 4 annas a day.
29. Dhatura is largely added to bhang by the
vendor to suit his customers. For the same reason
bhang is adulterated with the inferior sorts of ganja,
even to the extent of a quarter. The reason is that
a man likes to get as ' much intoxication' for as
little money as possible.
30. As a rule the consumption of all these drugs
is a very sociable vice. This refers most especially
to smoking. Bhang is chiefly consumed at home,
and is shared by the women to a very small extent.
By the children, never. In the Holi a sweetmeat
is made with a little bhang in it. This is given to
women and children ; but it is very mild and harm-
less.
31. la) Yes.
(b) Yes; but not in the sense that the use of
opium is difficult to stop.
(c) Not to my knowledge.
32. In Hindu festivals, especially the Holi, bhang
is almost universally consumed. It is in no way
regarded as essential. Is generally temperate, and
is not likely to lead to the formation of a habit.
33. Ganja is occasionally offered to ' Mahadeo,'
and to such saints as were known to have indulged
in its use while alive. Ganja and charas smoking
are regarded as disreputable habits by most respect-
able people. There is no such sentiment with refer-
ence to bhang drinking.
34. Yes, certainly. The custom is almost universal.
35. (a) No.
(b) Yes.
(f) I think it certainly would to both.
37. As far as I can learn, the difference is one of
degree only ; charas is stronger.
38. No.
39. No, it is more injurious, as its effect is more
sudden and leads to greater excesses.
40. It is common to take bhang for fever. Bhang
is largely given to cattle to increase appetite.
41. They have that reputation; but I cannot
speak from knowledge.
42. Yes, in the same way as I believe the moder-
ate use of tobacco to be harmless. The practice is
almost universal, and I see no harm resulting from
it.
43. Yes.
44. (c) It produces a mild pleasurable intoxica-
tion. (d) and (e) It does not allay hunger, but is
supposed to create appetite. (f) Its effect lasts only
a few hours. (g) There are no after-effects.
(h) Yes.
45. (a) Not to my knowledge.
(b) and (c) No.
(d) No. It is, on the contrary, an excellent drug
in treatment of dysentery.
(c) No.
(f) No.
(g) I do not think that it has. Yes.
46. I believe that it often acts as an exciting
cause on individuals prone to insanity. These per-
sons are naturally liable to recurrent attacks of mania,
and I have often known the excessive use of hemp
drugs bring on such attacks in individuals who had
been free for long periods.
47 and 4S. No knowledge.
49. (a) and b) No.
(d) It is so reputed, and taken with that avowed
object by devotees.
50. As above.
53. No.
55. Only in great excess.
56. An inmate of the asylum who was a vendor
of hemp drugs informs me that it is the common
practice for vendors to mix dhatura seeds with bhang
in order to increase its intoxicating effect, and con-
sumers also do so for the same reason. The physio-
logical effects of dhatura would then necessarily be
added to those of hemp.
57. No knowledge.
Oral evidence.
Question 1.—I had no experience at home of
insanity except attending the usual course of
lectures and hospital practice.
Question 24.—By " sepoy " I mean policemen.
It is to them that my experience is confined. That
sentence would better read " Policemen commonly
take bhang." As it stands, it is too strong, I
think about half may take the drug. My state-
ment is based not on personal knowledge, but on
enquiry, chiefly from Hospital Assistant Debi Ram
my subordinate, who has had great police practice.
Question 29.—The statement is based entirely
on the statement of the lunatic referred to in