172
47. The habit is not hereditary. The children
of these consumers are nervous, weak in stamina,
and prone to convulsions and hydrocephalus.
48. The habit is not hereditary. The children
of the excessive consumers are more nervous, more
weak in stamina, and more prone to convulsions
and hydrocephalus.
49. It is used as an aphrodisiac ; but I have no
information to answer on other points.
50. As stated in column 49.
56. Both in moderation and excess the admix-
ture of other substances is made use for heighten-
ing the effects.
57. I have no instances of ganja and charas
ever being eaten or drunk.
In conclusion I think if the Government pro-
hibit the cultivation and sale of hemp and its pre-
parations, the people who have caught the habit
of these drugs may begin to use alcohol, which
will be a bad substitute. The hemp drug and its
preparations are in no way beneficial, but injurious
to the system, even in moderation, which is
almost impossible to keep. I fear alcohol is sure
to come in substitution, and prefer to keep the
matter as it is. Victims of these preparations
want something to quench their thirst, and they
must use anything that they may come across.
They cannot control their minds, as the will power
is already lost in these cases.
oral evidence.
Question 1 .—I studied in the Grant Medical
College and took the Vernacular Class Hospital
Assistant Diploma in 1873. It is a three-years'
course. I attended lectures by the Native Profes
sors : the lectures were given in the vernacular.
I enlisted as Medical pupil in 1868.
Question 45.—I have had more than one case of
insanity, due, us I believe, to hemp drugs; but I
cannot give properly information about them as
they occurred long ago in my practice. I have
therefore chosen the case of Mr. V., a native
gentleman whom I know. It was three years ago
I first knew him. He was then 37 or 38 years
old. He is married and has children. I had not
known him before. He was brought to me from
Jalgaon by a friend for treatment as an out-patient
at Sholapur. His eyes were red. He was very
talkative, with tendency to violence, sleeplessness.
He was able to answer questions, but was incohe-
rent at times. His friends told me he had the
habit of smoking ganja, and that when he smoked
too much he got in this state, They said he had
smoked for one year. I told his friend not to give
him ganja and to have him watched by two
private watchmen. He got no ganja for two
months and was then quite cured. He then re-
turned to Jalgaon. When he was cured, he told
me that he had taken to smoking ganja with bad
company of men serving under him in the mill.
He confessed to no other bad habit.
A year afterwards he was brought back in the
same condition. He was ill then for about a
month-and-a-half, staying with the same friend at
Sholapur. I saw him constantly. He was cured.
He told me he had had a cough, and was advised
to take ganja for it. He had done so, and so got
into the habit again.
The first time I had him under observation he
told me that he had smoked ganja for one year
and had become insane, and had been treated by
the Civil Surgeon. That was about a year before
I saw him for the first time. He was thus insane
three times : once treated by the Civil Surgeon
and twice afterwards by me. My knowledge of the
man is confined to the two occasions on which I
was treating him. I do not know his family. I
asked the friends and the patient whether there
was any tendency to insanity in his father or
mother, or any history of syphilis; and the answer
was negative. That was all I asked them. I
think I asked about other habits, such as drinking.
That is all. And, of course, I knew nothing about
him except what I was told. I did not ask any
question about " anxiety." I have mentioned
that, because it comes in the question of the Com-
mission. The man said nothing about anxiety;
but he was not asked. He was asked whether he
had any quarrels. I did not ask about quarrels :
my question was " Have there been any family
troubles?" I have no notes of the case apart
from the ordinary dispensary notes of out-door
cases. This would show " symptoms" and " pre-
scriptions" in the quarter sheet. It is kept in
hospital. The entries are of the briefest character.
Mr. V. was an out-patient. Those who brought
him said to me he had been treated for the same
cause by the Civil Surgeon. So I had no doubt
about the cause. There are no typical symptoms.
Diagnosis cannot be made without history.
Question 40 .—The hakims and vaidyas use the
drugs as a stimulant in tonic confections. They
sometimes also prescribe ganja for cough.
Question 47 .—This condition of the children is
due to nervous weakness of the parents. I know
a few cases. I have never had the parents under
observation, but have had history of their using
ganja. I have had children with similar symp-
toms whose parents did not use ganja. I have
associated these symptoms with the use of hemp
by the parents since I went to Sind seven or eight
years ago. In Sind nearly every one uses bhang.
The Sind climate is very severe—great extremes.
I found many cases in Sind of such weakness in
children. I have found cases here—a few—but
none traceable to hemp. Mr. V.'s children are
all right.
In conclusion hemp drugs in my opinion cause
less harm than alcohol. It causes insanity more
than they do and more hereditary weakness.
90. Evidence of RAO BAHADUR VISHRAM RAMJI GHOLLAY, Retired Honorary
Assistant Surgeon, and Medical Practitioner, Poona City.
Ganja, charas, bhang, and the other prepara-
tions of ganja are used for the purposes of pro-
curing intoxication and as medicines.
The vicious persons from all classes of people,
especially the mendicants, bairagis, gosavis, purda-
sis, watchmen, etc., use the drug.
Charas is rarely used in this part of India,
because it is not prepared in this part of the coun-
try.
Ganja (dried flowering tops) and charas (a resi
nous exudation from the plant) are smoked ; bhang
(dried leaves) is drunk in the shape of subji.
Yakuti, shrikhand and gulkand, which are pre-
pared from bhang, are eaten.