287
(6) Behari Runiar.
I stated that there was no proof that this case
was caused by hemp drugs. The report conduct-
ed by the Joint Magistrate and Civil Surgeon of
Darbhanga states that "He was addicted to ganja
and to drink, but not in excessive quantities. He
went to the Sonepur Fair in the best of health.
He returned after a stay of seven to ten days com-
pletely mad, and after staying a few days at
home he disappeared. He was a wrestler." This
is most likely a case of insanity caused by ganja.
He, being already a ganja smoker, probably in-
dulged in the vice to excess while at the fair.
I hear that wrestlers often take ganja and bhang.
(7) Ram Sarup Das alias Ramcharitar Thakur.
An enquiry was held by Deputy Magistrate
Maulvi Syed Karim, in consultation with the
Civil Surgeon of Champaran.
I thought that the insanity was due to ganja,
because it is said that the man took ganja and
because the symptoms disappeared rapidly. I
had no evidence that the man took ganja except
the descriptive roll. The report states that there
is no family history of insanity, and that "he was
not addicted to ganja smoking before or du-
ring the time that he was insane, or to any
other intoxicants, such as alcohol, opium, etc.
Owing to certain reverses of fortune, he fell into
great pecuniary difficulties and was obliged to sell
his trees and mortgage his lands. These diffi-
culties exercised a very injurious influence on his
mind, and he became seriously ill with fever a year
before he, turned insane. It is difficult to say
why the insanity in the above case was ascribed
to ganja smoking, the result of the enquiries con-
clusively proving that it had no connection what-
ever with the use of that drug."
This case appears to have been due to mis-
fortune.
(8) Adit Missar.
I stated that insanity may have been caused
by ganja smoking, but there is no proof whatever
that this is the case. He was recorded to have
admitted ganja smoking, and he was a religious
beggar. The report made by the same officers as
in the last case (No. 6) states that "None of the
relatives of Adit Missar could be traced, and
consequently no further enquiries could be made
in the case."
The result of the more careful enquiry, therefore,
is that the cases of Salik Patick and Siba Thakur
are very doubtful; that of Ram Sarup Das is
altogether contradicted. The cases of Kali Singh,
Gajadhar Ahir, Behari Runiar, and Maghan Gir
appear to be really due to hemp drugs; and that
of Adit Missar has no further light thrown on it
by the enquiry, and stands on his own admission,
and the fact of his being a religious beggar or
devotee. In a typical case I consider hemp drugs
to be the sole cause, both exciting and predispos-
ing; but where other predisposing cause exists,
such as heredity, I think it only the exciting cause.
The type of insanity is, in my opinion, most
usually an active form of mania, with sleeplessness,
restlessness, incoherence, chattering, destructive-
ness, and sometimes violence. There may be delu-
sions and hallucinations. There may, I think, be
other forms besides mania. In cases of predisposi-
tion to insanity, where ganja is the exciting cause,
it might cause the kind of insanity to which the
patient is predisposed. The tendency in a typical
case is to recovery sometimes progressively, at
others through a period of depression.
The recovery takes place usually within six
months, perhaps in two months. The typical
mania is temporary. It may, however, last longer,
and there may be relapses.
Kali Singh's mental condition was much
improved in a month when he was discharged.
Gajadhur Ahir was much improved in 6 months,
and he was cured in 7 months.
Sobran Napit, admitted on the 15th April 1891
for toxic insanity, cause ganja: on admission,
hallucinations, sees and converses with ghosts
and imaginary persons at night. Incoherent,
talkative, violent, assaults, dirty, destructive.
Became much better in 6 months, but had a relapse
after one year and did not recover till he had been
18 months in the asylum.
The symptoms may be re-induced by use of the
drug after liberation from restraint. Gajadhar
Ahir's is a case in point. He was admitted on 7th
February 1888 as a case of
toxic insanity,
cause ganja; cured and discharged in eight
months; was at home sane for about three years
and five months; again took to ganja and was
admitted on 13th March 1892 for the same form
of insanity, and discharged cured after 7 months.
Typical Symptoms.—There are no symptoms so
typical that I would diagnose a case from the
symptoms alone as being due to hemp drugs. I
think that any intoxicant might produce a similar
or very similar form of insanity.
Insanes who have no recorded ganja history
do sometimes ask for it and confess to its use. I
think it in the highest degree probable that per-
sons whose minds are becoming diseased should
seek for sleep, relief from pain or excitment, or
for alleviation from trouble in the use of hemp
drugs, as they do in other countries in the use of
alcohol; and I doubt whether this aspect of the
question has been duly considered. So little is
really known of the cases in the asylums that I
cannot quote any to support this opinion.
In the same way I cannot produce any evidence
to indicate that insanity may often tend to in-
dulgence in the use of hemp drugs; but I sus-
pect that it does.
My view of this phase of the question is that
a very large number of persons consume hemp
drugs moderately or immoderately; probably
millions do.
The number of persons so insane from this
cause as to require restraint in Bengalis 227. In
some of these cases the cause may not be correct-
ly stated. In my analysis of the cases for 1892
I show that only fifty per cent. can be accepted
as ganja cases. I see no reason to think that
this may not be a proper average for the
returns generally. The cases are generally classed,
as these were, on the descriptive roll. If hemp
drugs were a common cause of insanity, it is
reasonable to suppose that many more ganja cases
would be placed under restraint.
On the other hand, there would be nothing
irrational in supposing that a certain number of
cases do take hemp drugs in the incipient stages
of insanity. If all the 277 had done so, there
would be nothing remarkable in it; and I think
it probable that many of them did so.
The statements in the descriptive rolls regarding
cause are, as a rule, not very reliable. I cannot
say what grade of police records them. But I
think the information is often in small villages
brought by chaukidars.