406
49. Evidence of the RIGHT REV. DR. STRACHAN, Bishop of Rangoon.
Oral evidence.
I have teen in the Madras Presidency for
twenty-two years, and over eleven years in Burma.
I was a Missionary in Tinnevelly, and afterwards
Secretary to the S. P. G. Mission in Madras. I
have since been Bishop of Rangoon. I lived
among the people in the Madras Presidency, at
one time being seven miles from any European.
My experience was in Tinnevelly, Ramnad, and
Madras itself. I am also M. D. of Edinburgh
University and did medical work as a Misisonary.
For years I was five hours a day in my hospital.
I suppose I must have prescribed from 300 to 500
thousand times for natives.
My experience with regard to the hemp drug
preparations is absolutely nil. First of all, amongst
the people of the extreme south of India, who
consist to a great extent of the Shanar caste, the
drug was not used at all. I never remember to
have met any case where I had reason to believe
that the drug had been used during my experi-
ence in Tinnevelly. In Madras itself there were
a few cases where the patient came and I was led
to ask questions as to the use of the hemp drug.
I have never had a case where a patient came to
be treated for the results of the drug ; but I have
had in Madras six or eight cases at the most,
where I was led by the symptoms to ask questions
as to the use. The use was admitted in one or
two cases. But still I could not certainly trace
the symptoms as the effect of the drugs. I have
left all my records in the various hospitals, and
besides, the cases are too few to establish any
conclusion. In one or two cases the connection
of the symptoms with hemp drugs was so far estab-
lished that, though the patient complained of
something else, I treated the drugs as the ()rigo.
There seemed to me nervous symptoms, so to say,
artificially produced. There was no insanity. But
I saw signs, as I thought, of softening of the brain
in one case. The excitability displayed led me to
infer that the disease of the brain was caused by
the man's habits ; and this led me to make enqui-
ries, the result of which caused me to associate
the symptoms with constant use of the drug. It
was a mere impression. There are many other
causes which might produce these symptoms; but
by questioning one eliminates certain causes and
is able to say: " In this such seems to be the
cause." This case occurred about 1875 or 1876.
So far as I remember, I eliminated other causes.
I do not remember the treatment I followed ; but
I recollect the diagnosis. I think there were one
or two more cases in Madras in which my impres-
sion was that brain disease was traceable to hemp.
drugs. In those cases I found no history of liquor.
Though liquor is more common than ganja in
Madras, I found no liquor history in these cases. I
have never read of brain changes from ganja; but
I presume they might result from it as they do
from liquor. At all events, I diagnosed them
as far as I could judge.
At the same time my experience of hemp
has been too limited to give any opinion on the
effects of hemp drugs. Then it must be borne in
mind that, though my hospital experience of hemp
was small, there may have been more in military
or police hospitals, and so on. My observation
in respect to Southern India, so far as it goes,
is that the drug is hardly used at all, i.e., in the
Madras Presidency. The drug has never in any
way forced itself on my notice in my itinerating
work. It has never come before me as one of
the evils with which a missionary has to deal.
And in my missionary vists to villages, when listen-
ing to quarrels and so on, I have never found any
of this set down to hemp drugs.
In Burma the hemp drug has never come into
my experience. It has attracted my attention
only from the reports I have read in regard to
smuggling of ganja. I received copies of the
questions of the Commission to distribute. I
distributed ten copies, but only received one
answer. I have since enquired, and am told that
Burmans never use the drug. I have never my-
self met a Burman who did. I should say from
what I hear that there must be difficulty in getting
the drug by natives of India, but that there is much
brought in. My impression is that there has been
increase of smuggling; but that may be due to
hearing of more seizures. My impression is that
scarcely a steamer of the B. I. S. N. Company
comes in without some ganja. The company do not
approve ; but the stuff gets on board their boats.
But I have never seen the drug used at all since I
came to Burma.
From my limited experience in Madras, I feel
difficulty in saying anything definitely ; but, gene-
rally speaking, I may say that it is always diffi-
cult to interfere with the intoxicant of a nation,
and that it is unwise to do this without very grave
necessity. I think further that there seems to be
a physiological necessity for some kind of artificial
stimulant in the human race. And it is a very seri-
ous matter to attempt to interfere by force with
the habits of a race or people in regard to their
stimulants. It has to be done with the greatest
caution.
50. Evidence of SAW MAUNG, ex-Sawbwa of Nyaungywe State.
Oral evidence.
Fort Stedman is in the Nyaungywe State. The
State is about 60 English miles in length from
north to south by 28 in breadth from east to west.
The Danu country borders on the State, and some
Danu villages are within it. The name of the
capital of the State is Nyaungywe, and it is near
Fort Stedman.
The hemp plant, bhen bin, is used but little for
the drug, and principally for its fibre in the State.
The Shan people only grow a few plants here and.
there, but the Palaungs, Kachins and Lawas culti-
vate it in fields to a very small extent. The occa-
sional plants grown by the Shans are used for the
drug. The more extensive cultivation by the other
classes is for the fibre. Each patch of this cultiva-
tion would be less than the area of this hall (60
by 35 feet), and nearly every house would have a
plot. The drug is not made from this cultivation,
and the plant thus grown for fibre is called " gom
bin." The fibre is used in the house of the grower
and it is not sold. The " bhen bin" and " gom
bin " are precisely the same plant. I do not know
if the male plant is removed when the plant is
grown as a narcotic by the Shans; but the stem of