FURTHER ENQUIRIES REGARDING THE ALLEGED HEMP DRUG CASES OF 1892. 135
The special enquiry reports that his wife's brother states that he has been made for
five years, that he has never shown signs of violence, that he has never drunk liquor or
has been addicted to any intoxicant.
The supposed cause of insanity was disappointment in some love affair. He was in
love with some chamar woman, whose husband is supposed to have given Tajodin some
drug to smoke, and after smoking this he became insane.
He has never been violent since his admission. Incoherence of speech has been
constantly present. He often refuses his food, and is mostly in a melancholic state. He
became excited in January 1893. Is of a very suspicious disposition.
Knee-jerks completely absent; pupil reflex doubtful; no marked tremor of tongue,
or signs of parlaysis of any part; is generally depressed and melancholic; has no sense
of decency or cleanliness; rambles off incoherently when spoken to, and cannot keep to
the point; there is a thickening of the skin of the inner side of the left palm.
In this case the history is contradictory and gives us very little help in coming to a
distinct conclusion as to the cause of the mental aberration.
There is a history of ganja-smoking.
" " " " " alcohol-drinking.
" " " " " disappointment in love.
He says himself that he took both ganja and alcohol: his relative says that he was
not in the habit of taking either alcohol or any narcotic drug. Obviously both statements
cannot be true and in the absence of other confirmatory evidence, which is to be believed ?
This raises the whole question as to how much is to be believed in accepting the statements
of a supposed ganja-consumer and how much rejected. Some lunatics are exceedingly
cunning and will readily respond to, and if the expression be excused "play up to" any
leading question. Others, on the contrary, are so suspicious that they will answer nothing,
nor the simplest and most direct question, always suspecting a trap.
The absolute disregard for veracity shown by dipso-maniacs and morphino-maniacs is
notorious, and I am inclined to believe that the same disregard for facts and reliance
on imagination is also to be met with in the subjects of what Dr. Hutchinson, the
late Superintendent of the Patna Asylum, calls "Cannabism." Did his ganja-smoking
propensities develope subsequent to the disappointment in love ? I should feel inclined
to look upon the case as an ordinary case of melancholia, which will probably go on to
dementia in the course of time, and although disappointment in love, alcoholism, and
persistent ganja-smoking may each and all have helped to bring about his present condition,
yet I cannot, with the doubtful history given, disassociate one exciting cause from the
other two, and say definitely that this is a case of insanity traceable to ganja.
3. Itwargir, Gosain.—Convicted on 14th October 1891 for theft in a building and
sentenced to one year's rigorous imprisonment.
The Superintendent of the Nagpur
Central Jail in October 1891 reported that he was violent, noisy, filthy in his habits, abusive
and incoherent, also that his history is that of a ganja-smoker, that he has torn his clothes
repeatedly, and that he suffered from insomnia.
The man told the Ganja Commission that he was in the habit of taking ganja regularly.
It was food to him and he could work on it. Never took opium or liquor.
In the Asylum he was frequently crying and was depressed, dull, and apathetic;
told me in January 1892 that he took ganja. Was destructive and noisy at night. At
times was excitable, and assaulted a lunatic on the 3rd April 1892. Continued to be
troublesome and chiefly of very destructive propensities until April 1893, when he
showed signs of mental improvement.
The magisterial special enquiry states, on the testimony of one Heragir, a cultivator,
who had known Itwargir for several years, that Itwargir was made a gosain when he was