CH. XII.] REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94. 237
have already said, my ordinary medical practice did not bring me into contact
with them at all. I only came into contact with them in the asylum. I had no
idea that they were used so extensively as I find on enquiry to be the case. I have
made enquiry in connection with the attention drawn to the matter recently."
These are some of the explanations which may be offered for the submis-
sion by Superintendents of such statistics year by year. Further, though such
evidence as that of Surgeon-Major-General DeFabeck of Madras shows most
clearly how little knowledge some heads of the Medical Department have had
of the untrustworthy character of the statistics, it does not show this more
clearly than does the mere fact that year after year these statistics have
been seriously discussed alike by these officers and by the Governments under
whom they serve.
Further inquiries made by the
Commission.
521. The Commission were forced to the conclusion that there was no trust-
worthy basis for a satisfactory and reasonably
accurate opinion on the connection between hemp
drugs and insanity in the asylum statistics appended to the annual reports.
They felt that they must conduct for themselves as full and searching an
inquiry as was possible within the time at their disposal into the history of
a considerable number of cases. As already stated, they selected as the subject
of their inquiry all the cases admitted into all the asylums in India in 1892
and ascribed to hemp drugs. They took up each of these cases separately in
the asylum, and ascertained what information was obtainable in regard to it from
perusal of the original papers and the asylum registers, and also by enquiry from
the Superintendent and Asylum officials. Having recorded all such informa-
tion, they asked the Superintendent of each asylum to conduct further inquiry
into each case and report finally on it, and they requested Local Governments
to direct the Magistrates and Civil Surgeons of districts to which the patients
belong to give the Superintendent all necessary assistance. The Commission
added: "In view of the importance of this branch of the inquiry, it is sug-
gested that, wherever this is possible, a careful local inquiry should be con-
ducted by a trustworthy and experienced Magistrate, in consultation with the
Civil Surgeon, to ascertain the past personal and family history of the patient,
and any circumstances likely to throw light on the cause of his insanity. The
record of this inquiry should in each case be submitted to the Commission
through the Superintendent of the asylum in which the patient was treated to
enable him to submit the report above mentioned." All this information, both
that collected in the asylums and that collected in these further inquiries, is
recorded in Vol. II Appendices. Only the final report of the Superintendent is
printed, unless it is inaccurate or incomplete, or unless there is anything of
interest in the records which he has not noticed. In these cases notes contain-
ing the points omitted or inaccurately stated, or extracts from the records,
are appended to his report. Prefixed to these papers is a statement of the
decision of the Commission on all of the cases, showing very briefly for
each why it has been accepted or rejected. In a few cases the results of
the inquiries are unsatisfactory; for it has been impossible occasionally to get
any further information; and occasionally the inquiry, even though feasible, has
not been conducted with sufficient care and intelligence. On the whole, how-
ever, the result is the collection of a body of information about these selected
cases far superior to anything heretofore
available.
60