140
the death of his wife and child, when he changed
his habits and was found to have taken to drugs.
There is no hereditary tendency; and I think
that the history and symptoms both point to
hemp drugs, though the bereavements may have
had to do with it. I should therefore say the
cause was hemp drugs. In Vithu's case (No. 8) I
have been unable to get further information. The
man was sane with us; but he had to be shown in
our books; and his friends said he had taken ganja.
The case looks like it.
In case No. 5, Moti Hemrai, I do not believe
ganja was the cause: (1) The case was melan
-
cholia with excitement, not mania; this might be
excited not caused by hemp drugs; (2) He died
from dropsy and old age, sheawing disease of
kidneys, and possibly consequent disease of the
brain; this would be sufficient cause; and (3) the
prolonged absence of improvement.
Case No. 10, Hirji Makji, is undoubtedly not a
ganja case, I think. The man died of anæmia
and fatty degeneration of the heart.
Case No. 12, Vishnu Laxmon's father, was epi
-
leptic. The man ate tobacco very largely, and
his brother now attributes his insanity to this.
He says he never saw him take ganja, Disap
-
pointment is often a cause of insanity where
there is predisposition, as in this case from his
father's epilepsy. He was also dissolute in life.
I do not believe that this is a ganja case.
Case No. 2, Yeso Ragho, is probably not a ganja
case. The partial paraplegia shows that brain
disease is the cause; and melancholia is the
natural form for the disease to take in that case.
I reject this as a ganja case.
Case No. 11, Deolo, is a very doubtful case. I
do not believe the insanity was primarily due to
ganja, though that may have been the exciting
cause. I have been unable to get more informa
-
tion in this case.
Cases No. 3 (Motiram), No. 6 (Mahomed Saf
-
dar), and No. 7 (Chiutaman) are cases where the
cause rests on the statement of friends.
In the first of these three cases, I have as
-
certained from the Aden Staff Surgeon that this
man's companions denied that he ever smoked
ganja; and the first class Magistrate writes that
he cannot ascertain anything about the alleged
ganja habit. I think myself that though a case
of acute mania, it was not due to ganja, because
it came on in a very insidious way which is un
-
usual in ganja, and was preceded by moroseness
and tendency to wander. Besides the long period
under treatment is against the theory of hemp
origin.
In case No. 6 no information can be obtained.
It is a doubtful case; the man is still in the
asylum, and not much improved and denies the
use of ganja; but probably as a beggar he did
use the drug, and that may have been the exciting
cause; but that is only a probability. I would
not remove this from the category of toxic in
-
sanity without better information, but I regard it
as a very doubtful case.
In case No. 7 I think that ganja was the excit
-
ing cause of the insanity—the exciting cause only,
because there was no improvement in this case.
But after his discharge, the man suddenly recover-
- e d , a n d h a s n o t h a d a n o t h e r a t t a c k u p t o n o w .
This is another reason for thinking it not a ganja
case. If addicted to hemp drugs, he would pro
-
bably indulge and have a relapse.
Case No. 1, Nama's case, is in my opinion a case
of acute ephemeral mania due to hemp drugs. I
think the outbreak of 26th July was simply anger,
and had nothing to do with mental condition. I
believe the information about ganja was obtained
from his friends.
Case No. 9, Gurudatt, is not a ganja case. The
ganja may have been the existing cause, but not
the predisposing cause. We have further inform-
ation about the ganja habit before he was at
present taken ill. But there was previous insanity
also. I look on it as a case of tendency to insanity,
possibly at the time excited by ganja, but not due
to hemp drugs.
In case No. 13 there is no further information.
The fact of want of improvement is against ganja.
I should not put the case down to hemp drugs.
As now advised, I would not put it down as a
ganja case, although I would still leave it on my
books thus, simply as a clue. Though I believe
the ganja could only be an exciting cause, if any.
Three cases (No. 1, No. 4 and No. 8) out of the
thirteen are all that I regard as hemp drugs cases.
I therefore have now ground to conclude that out
of all the admissions to the asylum in 1892, only
three were due to hemp drugs, though hemp to
my mind acted as an exciting cause in some of
the others as shown above. I would only return
these three as real cases of toxic insanity. I there
-
fore regard the system of reporting cases as an
unsatisfactory basis for founding any conclusion
as to the connection between hemp drugs and
insanity; but it is the best we have. I regard
it as better not to enter cases in the "unknown"
column if we have any sort of evidence as to
cause. The entry is only to assist us. This must
be borne in mind in estimating the value of our
returns. The entry is made to prevent certain
evidence being lost sight of, and it is so far reason
-
ably probable and is better than nothing.
I think that the hemp drugs have been unfair-
ly charged with causing insanity; the informa
-
tion is largely inaccurate. And when we have no
accurate information, we have to accept anything
that may seem to be a possible cause. Where a
coincidence of ganja-smoking exists, the insanity
is generally attributed to it, though in my opi
-
nion often very unfairly.
68. Evidence of SURGEON-LIEUTENANT-COLONEL M. L. BARTHOLOMEUSZ, M.B.,*
Civil Surgeon, and Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, Ahmedabad.
1. Opportunities limited only to cases seen in
the asylum.
2. Yes; bhang, charas and ganja.
19. Yes; so far as I know.
23. Bhang is never used for smoking, so far as
I have been informed.
28. (a) Smoke 2 pies weight of ganja, costing
3 pies in value.
(b) Smoke about a rupee's weight of ganja
costing about eight pies.
29. Ordinarily mixed with tobacco. I have
heard of no other admixtures.
* Was summoned to attend at a meeting of the Commission for oral examination, but was unable to appear.