146
56. I have no information of admixture of any
of the substances mentioned except opium seeds
in bhang massala.
57. Charas appears to be unknown in this dis-
trict as also ganja drinking or eating.
57(a). Yes ; that contained in the accompanying
form, which contains the results of enquiries
amongst the prisoners in the Dharwar Jail. The
only preparation referred to throughout is ganja,
which is used for smoking in this district.
72. Evidence of SURGEON-CAPTAIN W. E. JENNINGS, Civil Surgeon, and Superintend
¬ent, Ratnagiri Lunatic Asylum.
Oral evidence.
I am Superintendent of the Ratnagiri Asylum.
I have been iu charge just over a year since Nov-
mber 1892. I have had no other experience of
a special character in respect to insanity. I had
seen a few cases of people affected by ganja in
regiments. They were cases of the temporary
effects of ganja, rather cases of intoxication from
ganja. I do not remember to have seen any
cases of insanity.
I know of no literature dealing with the sub-
ject of hemp drug insanity. When I came here,
I arrived at the causation of hemp drug insanity
from the history, from such facts and history as
I have been able to collect. I could not tell from
seeing an insane person that his insanity was due
to ganja. There is, I may say, a craving in some
cases for the drug which is asked for. I have not
recognized any special symptoms of hemp drug
insanity. The type is generally a kind of chronic
mania with occasional attacks of acute mania at
longer or shorter intervals. Speaking generally,
in coming to a diagnosis as to cause, I am guided
wholly by the history. In inquiring I generally
begin by asking the friends or the police if the
man is addicted to any bad habits. If they seem
to hesitate, I go on to ask leading questions, such as
" Does he take liquor ?" or "Does he take ganja?"
If they say yes, then I ask, " In what form :
does he smoke ? " If they say yes, I enquire
as to period and amount to ascertain whether he
smokes it in excess. At the same time I
inquire whether there is any hereditary history
of insanity. I do discriminate between the
moderate and excessive use of the drug ; but this
is only relative, for what is moderate to one man
may be excessive to another.
I know from prescribing it that the effects of
the drug are most uncertain.
If from the replies I found that the evidence
showed the moderate habit, and if at the same
time I had no evidence of any other cause, I should
ascribe the insanity to ganja, disbelieving the
evidence that the use was merely moderate. And
if I got a history of the excessive use of ganja I
should ascribe the insanity to that without hesita-
tatiou, in the absence of any other cause. I al-
ways, however, ask about heredity and the previous
state of the patient.
If I have a history of heredity and also a state-
ment of the moderate use of the drug, 1 should be
inclined to think the insanity was hereditary. I
should inquire as to the degree of heredity, and
consider the relative strength of these two factors.
If it was a case of near heredity and the moderate
use of the drug, I should exclude the ganja, and
show the cause as heredity. If it were remote
heredity and the moderate use, I should do the
opposite. Speaking generally, if I had the moderate
use of ganja and another cause, I should take the
stronger cause. Thus, if a habitual drunkard
used ganja moderately, I should show alcoholism
as the cause. I could hardly give quantities as to
what would be generally speaking the moderate
and excessive use in a native. I should depend
on what the friends said about the use being
moderate or excessive, but I should disbelieve
them, as above stated, if they said it was moderate,
and there was no other cause of insanity. All the
above refers to cases where I have to make in-
quiries myself ; but I should never make any
inquiry if clear cause were assigned in the papers
received from the Magistrate.
73. Evidence of SURGEON-MAJOR K. R. KIRTIKAR, Civil Surgeon, Thana, and Medical
Officer, Thana Depot and District Jail.
1. I have personally known men who have for
years used hemp drugs both moderately and.
immoderately, and I have had frequent opportu-
nities of watching the effects of the drugs on
them generally in the practice of my profession
and otherwise.
2. Dr. Prain's definitions are correct, and may
be accepted for this district. Bhang is also known
as ghota in this district.
I may observe that Dr. Prain's remarks require
some modification, where he says that " ganja
consists of dried flowering tops of cultivated female
hemp plants which have become coated with
resin in consequence of having been unable to set
seeds freely." The result of my observations on
cultivated plants in two localities in Thana is that
the resin is not the result of the seeds not setting
freely, but that it is the essential condition of the
whole plant. The plant is sticky to the touch,
and has the strong odour of sabja (Ocymum basili
cum). Hence the name sabji given to bhang.
The stickiness is due to the resinous matter, which
when collected in masses forms charas. This
resinous exudation is seen in hemp seedlings even
when they are too young to flower.
Dr. Prain further says that "the formation of
seeds is prevented by the destruction of all the
male plants." This is no doubt the usual practice
for securing good compact leafy heads of flower
¬ i n g t o p s a n d f o r p r e v e n t i n g t h e f o r m a t i o n o f s e e d s .
It must not, however, be forgotten that although
male and female plants exist separately, as a
general rule there are some plants on which the
male and female flowers co-exist. I mention this
point particularly, because I do not wish it to be
supposed that the mere destruction of male plants
is suff icient to stop all seed formation.
19. Ganja is used for smoking. I know
nothing about charas.