102
REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94.
[APP.
Statement compiled by the Superintendent, Lucknow Lunatic Asylum, giving the result of
local enquiries into the fast, personal, and family history of the 17 lunatics confined dur-
ing 1892, whose insanity was attributed to hemp drugs.
Name, race, occupation,
district, age, and register
number of lunatic.
Alleged cause
of insanity.
(Statement
VII.)
Type of in-
-anity. (State-
ment VI.)
Facts ascertained from local enquiries.
Asylum Superintendent's final report.
1. Jaffir Ali; Musal-
man, Servant; Har-
doi; 37; No. 13 3.
Charas
Melan-
cholia.
Friends cannot attribute any cause for
this man's insanity; they never heard
of his being a ganja smoker or ad-
dicted to the use of intoxicants. No
history of insanity in the family.
The brothers were not examined.
[NOTE.—The brothers were not found. Three
Muhammadans who knew the man well were
examined, and said he did not use hemp or
any intoxicant.]
No inherited tendency to insanity. A
brother attended at the Asylum and
stated that Jaffir Ali smoked charas.
The exciting cause of this man's insani-
ty was probably charas.
2. Mithu; Musalman;
Labourer; Unao; 30,
No. 30.9.
Ganja.
Toxic
insanity.
Was fond of all sorts of intoxicating
liquors and drugs. Used 3 pies
worth of opium and 6 pies worth of
ganja daily, also used to drink liquor
and tari.
No history of inherited tendency elicit-
ed.
Appears to be a clear case of toxic in-
sanity caused by ganja and other in-
toxicants.
3. Madan
Lall;
Brahman; Servant;
Bans Bareli; 28;
No. 13.15.
Intoxicat-
ing drugs.
Toxic
insanity.
No madness in the family. Used to
drink ganja and charas to a large
extent. Has been "all right" since
discharge from the asylum.
Also apparently, a clear case of toxic
insanity caused by the use of ganja
and charas.
4. Lalta;
Hindu;
Bhat;
Servant;
Lucknow; 25 No.
13.18.
Ganja
Mania
Neither Lalta nor any of his relatives
have been traced as yet.
It seems established that Lalta was
a confirmed ganja-smoker and he had
a ganja corn on his right thumb.
The history of the case clearly shows
that insanity resulted from ganja-
smoking, and the case should have
been diagnosed as one of "toxic in-
sanity."
5. Manohar; Ahir;
Servant; Cawnpore;
45; No. 13 19.
Ganja
Mania
Became mad through reading the
Ramayan it is said. Did not take
drugs.
No one mad in the family.
[NOTE.—The inquiry dealt with nothing more
than the drug habit, which was disproved.]
In this case grief (at death of his wife)
and religious frenzy are given as pro-
bable causes of insanity. But enqui-
ries at the time of this man's admis-
sion into the Asylum elicited that "he
smoked a little ganja." There ap-
pears to have been no family history
of insanity, and ganja was probably
one exciting cause in this case.
6. Ramcharan; Brah-
man; Cultivator;
Barabanki;
24;
No. 13.24.
Bhang
Toxic
insanity.
Used to get intoxicated on bhang;
every third or fourth day used to take
some.
The brother became mad about 4
years previously and took no intoxi-
cant.
[NOTE.—The father and mother say that they
"had four children, 2 boys and 2 girls. Both
the sons are mad. Ramcharan became mad
three years ago. * * Both brothers became
mad at about the same age."]
There was doubtless inherited tenden-
cy in this case, but bhang-drinking
was the exciting cause.
7. Durga; Hindu;
Shopkeeper; Unao;
55; No. 13.32.
Ganja
Mania
Nothing further ascertained about this
case.
This man died in the Asylum from
pneumonia on 14th December last.
There is no evidence of inherited ten-
dency, and it was established that he
was a confirmed ganja-smoker.
No other cause than ganja-smoking
assignable.