FURTHER ENQUIRIES REGARDING THE ALLEGED HEMP DRUG CASES OF 1892. 103
Statement compiled by the Superintendent, Lucknow Lunatic Asylum, giving the result of local
enquiries into the past, personal, and family history of the 17 lunatics confined during 1892
whose insanity was attributed to hemp drugs—contd.
Name, race, occupation,
district, age, and register
number of lunatic.
Alleged cause
of insanity.
(Statement
VII.)
Type of in-
sanity. (State-
ment VI.)
Facts ascertained from local enquiries.
Asylum Superintendent's final report.
8. Kirhi;
Chamar;
Labourer; Sitapur;
36; No. 13.34.
Ganja
Acquired
imbecility.
Kirhi became insane through exces-
sive use of ganja about 2½ years ago.
This was the first attack of insanity.
No relation residing in village or vicinity.
The Civil Surgeon is of opinion that a
clear case has not yet been made out
that this man's insanity was due to
excessive ganja-smoking.
[NOTE.—No relative could be traced. The Civil
Surgeon of Sitapur, who conducted the further
inquiry says: "A clear case has not yet been
made out that this man's insanity was due to
excessive ganja-smoking. There is a history of
the man having received a beating prior to his
becoming insane. The apparent discrepancy
in undersigned's remarks in the original certi-
ficate is due to his quoting the police report,
which said that the insanity was due to ganja.
His own opinion he records as cause not dis-
covered."]
The statement received with this man
when admitted into the Asylum in
July 1892 says clearly that no other
member of family was insane and
gave the cause as "excessive ganja-
smoking."
There is no other assignable cause
than ganja in this case.
9. Jagmohun Singh;
Hindu; Cultivator;
Lucknow; 30; No.
13.35.
Ganja
Toxic
insanity.
"No madness in the family; would
appear to have taken charas, but his
friends and relations put down his
madness to a malign influence of
some devil. He has never been mar-
ried or had children."
The statement received with this man
on admission says: "Cause, over-
indulgence in ganja and bhang."
Two members of family affected with
insanity.
Hemp drugs in some form probably
the exciting cause in this case.
10. Parag; Chamar;
Servant; Partab-
garh; 25; No. 13.36
Ganja
Dementia The enquiry (made by a native) says
"no member of family found to have
ever become insane. Parag is said
to be (sic) addicted to no intoxicant."
[NOTE.—The Deputy Magistrate who conducted
the inquiry reports "Parag is found to have
become insane four years ago quite accidentally.
No member of his family is found to have ever
become insane nor to have been addicted to
intoxicants. Parag is said to be addicted to no
intoxicants. He is said to be all right since his
release from the Lunatic Asylum." The Magis-
trate forwards record of the enquiry.]
This man was sent to the Asylum by
the Cantonment Magistrate of Luck-
now, who records in his own writing
"excessive use of intoxicating drugs"
as the supposed cause of insanity.
The man must have been employed
in the Lucknow Cantonment,* and
the Cantonment Magistrate (a careful
officer) had doubtless grounds for his
statement.
Ganja and bhang are the only assign-
able causes in this case.
[*NOTE.—The grounds for this remark are not
apparent.]
11. Bindeshwari Singh;
Hindu; Servant;
Partabgarh;
39;
No. 13.37.
Bhang
Mania
To the reporter in this case it appeared
that—
"The main causes of madness were a
long illness and his father's death.
Is now quite a sensible man. There
is no madness in the family."
"The man took bhang and takes it
still.
He took ganja for a while
before he was mad."
The Civil-Surgeon considers mental
anxiety, family troubles, abstinence
from food, indulgence in bhang and
ganja contributed to bring about de-
rangement of brain.
Ganja and bhang doubtless mainly
contributed to cause insanity in
case.
[NOTE.—The reports on this case by the Joint-
Magistrate and Civil Surgeon are append-
ed.]
12. Bihari;
Hindu;
Darzi; Barabanki;
34; No. 13.39.
Ganja
Toxic in-
sanity.
This man cannot be traced
This man admitted to the Superinten-
dent that he was a ganja-smoker. No
family history of insanity was elicited
from friends. His was probably a
case of toxic insanity from ganja, in
which the after-effects continued for
an unusually long period.