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boys, of three and five years of age, when I made
his acquaintance. The children died after his
wife had died. They all thus died at intervals of one
and a half years. He lost his business perhaps two
years after his wife's death. He became bankrupt
through bad debts. I noticed the first change in
his character two or three or four years after he
lost his business. He began to talk foolishly
He talked much and without meaning. I thought
he was becoming mad from excessive smoking.
There was nobody to look after him then, and
there is no one now. He got his food by begging,
disregarding caste and creed. Since he became
quite insane his caste-fellows gave him food. He
bad a house of his own, but was fed by charity of
others. Sometimes he got plenty of food, and
sometimes he was in want of it. Before he became
insane he got his ganja and his food by the profits
of his business of folding turbans. He never suf-
fered from want until he became insane. I have
occasionally had to give or receive instructions
connected with insane persons in the course of my
business. Similar symptoms to those which I
observed in this case might be induced by grief,
anxiety, or through loss of business. I can't speak
about injury to the head or epilepsy or syphilis.
Injury to the head could not have caused insanity
in this case, because he never received a blow on
the head. I cannot say whether sexual excess could
lead to insanity of the kind which characterized this
case. Such cause would produce a different sort
of insanity, in that the insane would not talk so
foolishly as this man did. I am aware that in-
sanity can be caused by sexual excess. There
was not such excess in the case I have described.
I knew the man's character, and no enquiry on
the point was therefore necessary. I can distin-
guish between insanity caused by grief, and in-
sanity brought on by excess of ganja. In the
latter case the man would be more foolish than
in the former. The difference is only a matter of
degree. In attributing the insanity in the case
described partially to the loss of family and busi-
ness, I bear in mind the interval which elapsed
between those events and the onset of the insanity.
I have noticed among sadhus and fakirs some cases
of insanity caused by ganja smoking, but they
were not so completely insane as the bania de-
scribed above. There were cases of temporary fits
of insanity, and I know no case of permanent in-
sanity but that described. I think I know these
people well enough to say that their insanity was
due to excessive use of ganja and want of proper
food. The fits would last for two or three hours
at the longest. In these fits they would abuse
people regardless of the persons they were address-
ing. I have even seen them abuse policemen. I
cannot be sure that these fits were not mere fits
of irritation or excitement or rage.
Having had my statement read over to me, I
state with regard to the intervals between the
main facts, that as a considerable time has elapsed
I cannot speak accurately regarding them, but
my impression is two years elapsed between the
last of his troubles and the first symptoms of in-
sanity. I am quite positive that the troubles all
occurred before the insanity began.