264
continues much longer. The tendency in acute
mania due to ganja is to recover when the man is
kept away from the drug and kept quiet and pro-
perly treated with sedatives. This is not as a rule
the case with acute mania due to other causes.
My attention has never been directed to transient
mania, though I know scientists make this sub-
division. I have not seen a case. I lay stress on
the rapidity of recovery as a diagnostic mark of
hemp drug insanity. It would tend to strengthen
my diagnosis. As a rule these cases are due to a
great outburst, a debauch. The man who takes
ganja in excess for years does not always recover
in this way. His case may go on to chronic
mania. This is not a very frequent case, not so
frequent as the other. I have never seen a case
in India of acute alcoholic poisoning. I have at
home. I think there would be an analogy be-
tween these cases due to a ganja debauch and such
a case. I do not see the analogy between ganja
cases and advanced delirium tremens. They may
be like the first day or two of delirium tremens,
but I have not noticed in them the symptoms you
find later in delirium tremens. I have never (as
far as I remember) made a post mortem examina-
tion of brains in ganja cases, nor heard of one.
As Civil Surgeon I have had these cases of
acute mania from ganja before me under observa-
tion, but very seldom. I had only one last year.
I remember also a private patient about twelve
years ago. These are the only cases I can remem-
ber as sent to me for observation. As a rule the
cases coming to the asylum are still in acute stage
unless they come from the jail or another district.
The acute stage is generally past. It lasts from a
fortnight to a month, more or less. I have noticed
in the eyes the peculiar staring expression and
glitter I have referred to. I have not noticed
redness of eye; I am unable to say from memory
anything about the pupils; I have never ex-
amined the reflexes.
When the acute symptoms have passed off any
certain diagnosis is impossible. You cannot speak
with any certainty, so far as my observation goes.
I should then be guided by what the man said,
checked by my record of the case. He is fit to
give information. He generally says: "Some-
body gave me a drug and I went mad," or some-
thing of that kind. The lunatic (even when tem-
porarily sane) varies his statement, however, on
these subjects from day to day. There is an
absence of typical symptoms; I do not remember
any symptoms of ganja insanity visible in a chronic
case.
My view of toxic insanity is that it is insanity
due to a toxic cause. If ganja is the cause, there-
fore, the case should be shown as toxic insanity.
I do not attach much value to the information
we receive as to cause. The police put down any-
thing they hear or think. Some of the descrip-
tive rolls are utterly absurd. Some contain no-
thing. Some contain absolute absurdity. As to
the diagnosis or statements as to cause they are
generally quite ridiculous. It is a most difficult
thing to ascertain cause. We give cause too often
ourselves, It is insisted on, and we are constrained
to enter cause before it has been properly ascer-
tained. The information we get and the state-
ments of insane persons give too often no ade-
quate ground for a statement regarding cause.
It is just possible that two-thirds of the entries
as to cause may be correct. Certainly that would
be the outside. At least one-third of the entries
are misleading.
102. Evidence of SURGEON-LIEUTENANT-COLONEL W. FLOOD MURRAY,
Civil Surgeon, Shahabad.
1. I have been for twenty-four years serving
in India; had medical charge of Native regiments,
jails, lunatic asylums.
2. In this part of the country the flat ganja of
Dr. Prain is called jatta, the round is called kulli,
and the broken, chur. The processes for making
ganja described by Dr. Prain are more or less fol-
lowed in this part of the country.
19. Besides being used for smoking and drink-
ing both ganja and bhang are used as external
applications to relieve pain by native baids (the
ganja or the bhang is mixed with other drugs and
put in a piece of cloth, then beaten and applied to
the painful part).
23. Bhang is very seldom used for smoking
purposes and only by those who, being habitual
ganja smokers, happen by chance to be unable to
procure their ganja. Bhang when used for smok-
ing produces a weak kind of intoxication; is less
intoxicating than ganja.
28. (a) Habitual consumers, moderate 1 anna:
(b) hard consumers, 8 to 12 annas.
29. Generally tobacco leaf (the form of tobacco
used for eating) is mixed with ganja, and some-
times smoking tobacco. In this part of the
country none of the drugs mentioned are mixed
with ganja at the time of smoking. Many things
are used with bhang, such as flowers of roses,
melon seeds, etc., but I know of no preparation
sold for the purpose.
30. A convivial party is not a necessity for the
consumption of either ganja or bhang; they are
both taken in solitude. The practice is mainly
confined to the male sex and seldom indulged in
by children, though I have met instances of young
boys smoking ganja.
31. The habit of smoking ganja and drinking
bhang is easily formed. If a man has a little
determination, he can easily break off the habit.
In my experience there is not the same tendency
for the moderate habit to develop into the exces-
sive as in other practices, though such, cases may
now and again occur.
32. The use of these drugs has nothing to do
with religion, and no ceremony, social or religious,
enjoins their use.
36. I do not think so, certainly not in the
mufassal. Whether it is so in large towns, such
as Calcutta, I can't say. Many orthodox Hindus
who use bhang would never touch alcohol.
39. The worst form is ganja smoking. According
to the Sanskrit Vaidak, smoking ganja and charas
is very injurious to the heart, lungs and brain. I
have seen myself individuals who were suffering
with asthma and weakened heart from the pro-
longed use of ganja, and numbers suffering from
insanity said to have been brought on by the
same cause. In all such cases the drug was pro-
bably consumed in excess. My reasons for suppos-
ing that in most of such cases there had been