289
He resumed his old habits and had a relapse five
days before I left for Bombay to appear here. He
had apparently purposely lighted his mattress and
burned himself in a fit of madness on the Sunday
before my departure (which was last Thursday).
I saw him the next day. He was then incoherent
and confused. I saw that both his legs were
burned. My Sub-Inspector knew he had been mad
six months, as stated above. I don't know whether
this company, in which this man was, had other
vices or not. They were associated because they
were all bad characters, birds of a feather; but I
cannot say that it was an association for charas
smoking. They are not spirit drinkers. They
may have been given to sexual excess; very pro-
bably this man was, I have never seen any one
smoke dhatura. I did not ask whether they used
it. The man's father is dead. I do not know
what he died of. The mother said there was no
insanity in the family. I don't know what was
the condition of the boy when he began the drug;
but I was told he was healthy. That information
is reliable, I think. This is a case of mania. He
was introduced to me as a case of insanity which
had occurred eighteen months ago; and I enquired
into the case from him and saw the mother as well.
I did not enquire into heredity in the sense of go-
ing back any generations. I simply asked the
mother if there was insanity in the family; and she
said "no." The use of the drug in this case may
have been both the exciting and predisposing cause.
That is, the effects of the drug predisposed the
patient to the insanity which was subsequently set
up by the drug.
I have had no experience in inquiries into in-
sanity. I think it may have been a defect in my
inquiry not to go fully into heredity; possibly also
not to enquire into dhatura, which I believe may
cause insanity. I also think that sexual excess
may be a cause of insanity; but I had not consi-
dered this. I had not excluded all other causes;
but I still think that charas smoking was the cause
of insanity. This is the case of the Muhammadan
referred to in the sixth paragraph of my printed
answer.
The inquiries into the other three cases are simi-
lar in their conditions. I could hardly obtain as
full information in them as in this case; for there
were no relatives.
25. Evidence of MAKHDUM DOST MOHAMMED MAKHDUM FAZUL MOHAMMED,
Zamindar , Bubak , Karachi.
1. I have no personal experience. I do not take
bhang, etc. I make the following statement from
inquiries made from other persons.
2. The names given here are the same as those
which I am accustomed to.
3. Bhang is cultivated in abundance in Bubak,
taluka Sehwan, district Karachi, but does not grow
spontaneously.
4. In this province this name alone is known,
and no other name.
5. This question is not applicable to Sind.
6. The wild plant does not grow here. Nor have
I seen it.
7. Bhang is cultivated in Sind.
(a ) Ganja is not prepared in Sind.
(b) Charas is not prepared in Sind.
(c) The hemp plant is used for bhang in Sind.
(d) It is not cultivated for its fibres, but for
its seeds and for the drink which is made from
it. It is abundant in Tapa Bubak.
8. The cultivated area is neither increasing nor
decreasing. It is stationary.
9. The land is first irrigated, then ploughed, then
seeds are scattered over it; when the crop grows to
some height, it is cleared of weeds and manured.
This procedure continues till it grows knee-high;
afterwards, before it grows to its complete height,
the male plants are cut off. After arriving at its
proper height it produces seeds. The stalks are
then reaped and spread out to dry. The stalks are
beaten, and then they are separated from the leaves
by winnowing. The seeds are reserved for planting
again and the bhang is sold to farmers.
10. Hemp cultivators form no special class.
They are of the same class as other agricutural
cultivators.
11. This is not applicable to this province.
12. I know nothing about this, and no one in
this province knows where it is prepared.
13. There is none in this province. I do not
know anything of it in the place where it is pro-
duced.
14. About 4,000 maunds of bhang only are pro-
-duced in Bubak, taluka Sehwan.
15. The mode of cultivating bhang is shown in
my answer to question 9 , but the wild hemp plant
does not grow here. It is neither smoked nor eaten
in Sind. So I cannot give the required difference.
16. It is prepared in houses and fields and can
be prepared wherever it is cultivated. I know
nothing about the wild bhang.
17. Hindus cultivate and prepare bhang.
18. I know nothing of charas and ganja, but
bhang deteriorates by keeping long. It loses its
effect in course of time. It keeps good for twelve
months, after which it gets weak; after two years
it loses all its effects. There is no special measure
taken to prevent deterioration.
19. Note.—As ganja and charas are not prepared
in this province, the difference cannot be shown.
It is used for smoking and is imported from other
countries.
20. No special class of people drinks or smokes
it. People of all classes are habituated to it and
use it. The tikanas of Hindus and dairas (inns) of
Mussalmans are the principal places where it is used.
21 and 22. I do not know.
23. Bhang is not used here for smoking, so I
can give no particulars.
24.
(a ) Bhang is not eaten
.
( b) It is drunk.
No special places are appointed and no special
class use it. People buy it from the licensed shops
and use it.
25. I t is now increasing; formerly people were
more religious, now they are losing all their
scru-ples. Formerly people had great fear under Mu-
hammadan rule, but now being habituated to the
use of hemp drugs, the number is increasing.
26. No accurate information can be obtained re-
garding these.
vol. vii.
2 R