CH. XII.] REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94. 231
the medical certificate, leaving the descriptive roll, which contains all that is
known of the lunatic's history, to be filled up by the Magistrate or the police.
Where it is the practice for the Civil Surgeon to fill up the descriptive roll, the
entry regarding cause is made by him or under his orders. Even in that case,
however, he is generally compelled to accept the statements of the police. The
majority of the lunatics sent up are wanderers who have no friends. Friends,
even when there are any, are averse to appear lest they should be called on to
contribute to the support of the lunatic. The following statements may be
taken as typical of the usual experience of Civil Surgeons in this respect: "As
Civil Surgeon, I got the information from friends or from the police. Very
often I had cases where no friends came. In such cases I trusted to the police
or wherever I could get my information" (Surgeon-Major Boyd, Colaba).
"The information I give in Form C is generally very incomplete, as I have only
the lunatic to get it from" (Surgeon-Major Burke, Poona). "The friends very
rarely attend. As a rule, then, I am left entirely to the statement or form received
and to the police" (Surgeon-Major Emerson, Bareilly). Thus, even where the
Civil Surgeon signs the descriptive roll, he bases his entries therein as a rule on
information supplied by the police. The more general practice is therefore also
the more correct, to have the descriptive roll formally filled in by the police and
signed by a Police officer or Magistrate, as the police supply the information.
The inquiry into the history of the case is not an inquiry conducted by a pro-
fessional man from the persons likely to know most about the lunatic. The
information consists often merely of the guesses of police officers as to the
history and habits of a friendless and homeless wanderer; and in other cases,
where a local inquiry is possible, it is generally made by a subordinate police
officer.
"I am aware," says the Surgeon-General of the Bombay Presidency, "that
inquiries in these cases are generally conducted by a subordinate officer of
police." Surgeon-Captain Walsh, of the Calcutta Asylum, says: "The de-
scriptive rolls are filled up as a rule by a Native Police Inspector on the informa-
tion of a native policeman." Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Bovill, of Patna,
goes further. He says: "The statements in the descriptive rolls regarding
cause are as a rule not very reliable. I cannot say what grade of police
records them. But I think the information is often in small villages brought
by chaukidars." Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Crombie, Superintendent, General
Hospital, Calcutta, says: "The inquiry is made by the police. I have myself
seen an inquiry going on in which a constable was filling in the papers from the
statements of the lunatic himself, the man being at the time insane. This may
be exceptional, but I have seen it. In any case I distrust this descriptive roll."
These are some typical statements regarding the agency which, as a rule, collects
the information on which the asylum statistics as to cause are based. Some-
times, as at head-quarters, the inquiring police officer may be an Inspector;
but, as a rule, he is very subordinate. It is impossible to share the cheerful
optimism of Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel O'Brien, of Benares, who says that
"when ganja is assigned, the man was probably 2 notorious ganja smoker.
The inquiry may be conducted by a chaprassi, yet he might be right in that."
It would be absurd to accept without great distrust the statements, especially
as to the cause of insanity, compiled by such an agency as has been described.