557
47. No.
48. Generally speaking ganja-smokers of this
class have very few children and they often
suffer from impotency or a tendency to it; there
are however instances where a son of a habitual
excessive ganja-smoker has contracted the vice,
but this might be more from constant association
than from any hereditary taint in the blood.
49. Ganja—
(a) In some cases.
(b) To some extent.
(c) Not directly.
(d) No; not when used moderately.
50. Ganja—
Is frequently used in excess to cause impotence,
for example the Hindu sanyasis and fakirs and
Musalman pirs are inveterate ganja-smokers to
repress sexual desires and to concentrate their
minds to the worship of the Almighty.
56. Ganja—
(a) Is generally used with tobacco leaf; its
effect is probably to give more flavour; it does not,
as far as can be ascertained, lessen the intoxicat-
ing effect of the drug.
(b) In excess it is sometimes mixed with dha-
tura and nux vomica seeds and even opium, and
the effect of this admixture no doubt is to make
the composition highly intoxicating.
57. I have no experience as regards charas, nor
do I know of ganja being drunk in this district.
I have no other information or opinion which
I desire to lay before the Commission in connec-
tion with these drugs, except that on the occa-
sional excessive use of the drug (hemp). I have
seen cases of acute mania among persons who
occasionally indulge in this drug in excess. In
these cases ganja acted as a predisposing cause to
the disease. I give below a few illustrative
cases:—
Case No. I.—Babu B. Sen is at present a re-
spectable private medical practitioner of this town.
He is nearly 53 years of age. About 8 years ago,
he began to smoke extract Cannabis indica mixed
with native tobacco for chronic dysentery. He
got some relief. After some time, he began
smoking ganja (broken ganja) in excess, consum-
ing more than half a chatak daily. Within six
months he became a raving lunatic, and his
friends had to take him away and put him under
restraint. He returned to town after a year quite
cured. He has again been practising his profes-
sion since 1886. He is respected by every body.
There is no trace of insanity in him, and does not
smoke ganja or tobacco, nor take any spirituous
liquor.
Case No. II.—Golak Chandra Das is a native of
Sylhet. He was a Government office clerk for
some time but had to give up his post owing to
excessive ganja smoking. He was twice attacked
with acute mania with homicidal tendency and
was on each occasion sent to the Lunatic Asylum
at Dacca for safe custody and treatment. He
recovered completely each time, and about the end
of 1891 again returned to town and began to live
with his family. During last six months, he has
again taken up the old habit of ganja-smoking
with occasional indulgence in country liquor.
About four weeks ago he, without any warning,
went stealthily behind where his cousin was read-
ing and dealt him a most terrible blow on the top
of the head with a heavy piece of wood. This
blow fractured the skull, lacerated the brain sub-
stance and killed the man in two days. The
criminal lunatic is now under my observation in
the jail and will be sent up for trial at the next
sessions. He was wild with excitement for the
first few days and is now quieting down gradually.
Oral evidence.
Question 1.—I am 14 years in the Indian Medi-
cal Service. Nine years were passed in military
service and five years as Civil Surgeon in Assam.
As medical officer of the jails at Sibsagar and
Sylhet, I have had some experience of insanity, but
I have had no special experience in connection with
lunatic asylums. Nor have I made a special study
of insanity.
Question 29.—I have heard of dhatura or nux
vomica or opium being used with ganja, but I
have never come across a case. Some men told
me that they themselves used these things when
they wished to increase the intoxicant effect of
ganja. These were mostly excessive consumers.
I accept those statements as true. I should sup-
pose they preferred to take these things to in-
creasing the allowance of ganja, because they
were poor men, such as dhobies and syces and
mendicants. The men who gave me this inform-
ation were some 8 or 10 out of 18 or 20 whom I exa-
mined. Nearly all the 18 or 20 were excessive
consumers. The proportion of those who admit-
ted that they occasionally took dhatura and such
drugs was 50 per cent. Nux vomica is a nerve
stimulant, not an intoxicant. Still it does increase
the effect of the intoxicant with which it is used.
My informants did not lead me to suppose that
dhatura was dreaded for its bad effects. I believe
it to be an intoxicant.
Question 39.—I was informed by the fakirs
and others of whom I made enquiries that ganja
did concentrate the thoughts on religious subjects.
I was also informed directly by people like my
syces that hallucinations of sexual nature followed
upon ganja-smoking. These hallucinations were
experienced in dreams at night. I should think
that these drugs acted as aphrodisiacs, for I can
recall one case in which I administered the extract
of Cannabis indica with nux vomica successfully in
a case of sexual weakness. I have no other perso-
nal experience. I do not think the whole effect in
this case was due to the nux vomica. I can-
not refer to any book in which Cannabis indica
is stated to have aphrodisiac properties.
Question 40.—I was informed by two kabirajes
that they used the drug as a sedative in nervous
diseases. I do not think it is used to any large
extent for this purpose. The only two kabirajes
I asked said they used the drug, but the impres-
sion I gathered from them was that they only
used it occasionally. I am not prepared to say
that ganja is anti-malarial, but as it is a nerve
tonic I think it would be beneficial in cases of fever.
I understood my informants to say that they took
ganja when they got rheumatic pains and that it
relieved them. I was told this by habitual
smokers, and also by people who never smoked
except to relieve pain. A native practitioner
showed me two cases which he said had been drop-
sical, and had been under treatment by various
remedies for some time. Finally he administered
the tincture of Cannabis internally and ordered
the patients to smoke ganja. When I saw the
patients they were dried up and there were no
dropsical appearances. On the contrary, they
appeared atrophied. The practitioner was a failed
student of the Medical College. He is a good practi-