340
a man calm, considerate, less apt to mischeif, and
lazy.
40. By native vaidyas it is given on account of
its narcotic effect in bronchitis, asthma, dyspepsia,
loss of appetite, vomiting, insomnia, and colic.
Externally for fomenting painful parts.
In cattle diseases it is given in colic, retention
of urine, and when ruminating power is weakened.
41. (a) Yes ; bhang particulary.
(b) and (c) Yes.
(d) Moderate use does good in commencing
impotency.
41. Because it is next to impossible to stick to
the moderate use, and as the same dose every day
does not answer, requires the drug to be increased
(without which its effect is nil) ; and as increased
dose leads to a habit, and as the habit of any kind
of intoxication is undesirable, so I consider the
moderate use of this drug more harmful than
harmless.
44. (a) It is refreshing. It acts upon the
various organs, such as lower bowels, bladder,
stomach, etc., and excites their function.
(b)Yes.
(c)Yes, a little ; it depends upon the quan-
tity used.
(d)It excites hunger at first, but allays after-
wards, and often causes craving.
(e)Yes.
(j ) From two to three hours, and often up to
five.
(g) Heaviness about the head, aching of body,
indigestion in novice, and general malaise.
(h) Yes ; its absence produces longing, and often
uneasiness.
45 and 46. The habitual moderate use of bhang,
ganja and charas at first gives a great appetite,
and any kind of food is eaten with relish and
delight. Thus the physical state of body im-
proves, the person gains weight and stands any
kind of exertion. The muscles become more develop-
ed, and he finds general improvement of the whole
system. This state of things remain for about a
year or two. Afterwards the person finds that
any large dose has no effect, and he longs for more
intoxication, to obtain which he has recourse at
first to increased doses ; then addition of opium,
dhatura, etc. Eventually the system becomes so
deadened to the effects of these drugs, that ever so
much moderate dose produces no desired effect, and
gradually the whole system begins to suffer ; at.,
first the digestion is impaired; next the respira-
tory and nervous tracts become affected. Dysen-
tery, bronchitis, rheumatism, loss of memory,
epistaxis, softening of brain, etc., set in, and the
person becomes so sick that he finds his life a
burden, more because no medicines which cure or-
dinarily such ailments do him any good.
These drugs in the beginning excite unusually
great sexual desire ; but after the lapse of some
time, either on account of excessive sexual inter-
course or on account of paralysing effects of the
drug, the undue sexual desire becomes a matter of
anxiety on the part of the person, who finds him-
self much below the mark, and tries to regain it by
increasing the dose and adding opium, dhatura,
cantharides, etc., which for the time being gives
some satisfaction, but ends in total impotency.
I have seen in the lunatic asylums at Poona and
Ahmedabad (Guzerat) that about 75 per cent. of
the lunatics were, before their coming into the
asylum and before becoming a subject fit for that
place ganja and charas smokers, mostly the former.
G a n j a i s t h e t h i n g w h i c h e x c i t e s i n s a n i t y , b e c a u s e
i t a c t s d i r e c t l y o n t h e n e r v i n e c e n t r e , a n d a m a n
who is otherwise sober becomes irritable and ex
c i t a b l e b y i t s i n t o x i c a t i o n . I t s e f f e c t i s m o r e a c u t e
and prompt in persons of weakened intellect and
who abuse moral power than those who observe
moderation.
Bhang seldom acts as an exciting cause of in-
s a n i t y . I t d o e s n o t a c t a t t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t o n
t h e b r a i n , b u t i t d o e s o n t h e d i g e s t i v e o r g a n s f i r s t ,
Ind gradually the intoxcation travels on to the
b r a i n . I h a v e s e e n s o m e g o o d s o n g s t e r s a n d
a t h l e t e s w h o , w i t h o u t u s i n g e i t h e r g a n j a o r b h a n g ,
c o u 1 d d o n o t h i n g ; b u t w h e n o n c e h a v i n g e n j o y e d
their favourite drug, they find their intellect and
muscles respectively sharpened and could do the
best of performance.
Usually a martyr of bhang, without it, has got
his power of thinking or inclination of doing any
other thing, a zero ; but with the doses of bhang
his intellect increases. This state of things remains
for such time as the moderate use of the stuff could
be borne. But when it reaches to the extreme,
then either the overdose of the drug or the total
want of it drives the man out of his senses, and he
thus becomes a lunatic. When once in the asylum,
the total abstinence from the drug, aided by the
curative power of nature, exercised by rigid re-
straint, brings the man round. But a repetition of
the same without much time or drug brings the
man again to his former state, and thus the lunacy
returns.
From the above it could be perceived that ganja
is usually exciting and the bhang a predisposing
cause of insanity, according to my oponion. The
insanity produced by the effects of ganja is gener-
ally of a violent character and rarely a mild one.
Amongst most of the murderers about 90 per cent.
will be found to be ganja smokers.
The insanity of bhang is usually of mild type
and temporary. Persons so affected have got some
imaginary object in view ; for example, some expects
to find treasure ; some thinks he is made of glass ;
some expects his friend, &amp;c., and is very rarely of
a violent character.
Insanity produced by both these drugs is of a
temporary kind ; but, if once cured, is apt to return
if the same drug is indulged again.
Persons who generally use these drugs to an
excess are mostly sadhus, jogis and bairagis.
They having abandoned the world, are content
amongst the society of their own. They neither
speak much or interfere with other people. As
this is also a kind of insanity, I consider the exces-
sive use of the drug, though producing madness,
its variety varies and the madness of the sadhus,
jogis, etc., is one of them.
47. Children born of parents who are in the
habit of excessive use of any of these drugs are
mostly idiots and fools, often lunatics. But I have
seen many such persons who have got no issue at
all.
49. Often the moderate use of these drugs is
practised as aphrodisiac, generally amongst prosti-
tutes and whoremongers. Its effect is injurious,
inasmuch as it tends to produce laziness, and thus
cause persons to get more money by least trouble ;
consequently robbery, etc., is increased. Also it
tends to prevent propagation on account of its pro-
perty of checking the free formation of semen and
drying up the blood from which the semen is
formed. It is always the case that the persons