98
REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94.
[APP.
Hemp Drug cases admitted in 1892—contd.
Name, race, occupation,
district, age, and register
number of lunatic.
Alleged
cause of
insanity.
(Statement
VII.)
Type of in-
sanity. (State-
ment VI.)
State of
health on
admission.
Facts ascertained from the papers.
Asylum history and facts ascertained
from gisters and from inquiry
from Superintendent.
4. Lalta—contd.
Ganja
Mania
Fair
a confirmed ganja and charas
smoker; and it would appear
over-indulgence in these drugs
brought on the present attack.
Admitted, 15th April 1892.
Made over to his friends, 28th
July 1892.
5. Manohar Ahir; Ser-
vant; Cawnpore; 45;
13.19.
Ganja
Mania
Fair
In this case the statement shows—
(8) Supposed cause, not known.
(a) No fever previously.
(b) Used to smoke a
little
ganja.
(c) Insanity due to death of his
wife.
The medical certificate of 18th
April 1892 says: "Speaks inco-
herently, is regardless of personal
wants and comforts and is filthy
in habits."
Admitted, 24th April 1892. Dis-
charged as cured, 30th
July
1892.
When admitted to the Asylum
this man was in fair condition, but
with a chronic cough. He was
excited and filthy, but was im-
proved by June (two months
later). He had been insane four
months before being admitted.
The case is entered in the register
as due to "ganja or grief," and
is diagnosed as "Mania" (not
"Toxic insanity").
Yet in the
returns it is shown as due to
ganja.
6. Ramcharan; Brah-
man; Cultivator; Ba-
rabanki; 24; 13.24.
Bhang
Toxic
insanity.
Good
The statement gives as the cause
of insanity in this case that the
man "was fond of reading Hindi
books, in which he felt heat."
(This last clause is a translation
of the common Hindi expression
for becoming mad). It adds that
he used "bhang and tobacco."
It shows that
"Ramdas, his
brother, is insane."
The medical certificate of 5th May
1892, simply says: "Delusions,
dirty habits."
Admitted, 9th May 1892.
Made over to his mother, 19th
August 1892.
The Asylum history of Ramdas (the
brother) was got out.
It was a
case of
"Mania."
He
had
periodical attacks of mania. It was
not a case of toxic insanity, the
Superintendent says, Ramcharan
had, no doubt, a hereditary taint.
He was not insane in the Asylum.
He "behaved rationally since ad-
mission."
It looked from the
medical certificate like a man
under the influence of a tempor-
ary cause like bhang, and as the
man came to the Asylum quite
wel, there was nothing else to
help diagnosis.
7. Lurga;
Hindu;
Shopkeeper; Unao;
55. 13.32
Ganja
Mania
Indiffer-
ent.
The statement shows—
6. "Attack
periodically
each
year. He has last been at-
tacked from last fifteen days."
7. "Duration, twenty years. "
8. "He lives in village from last
twenty years.
He keeps a
shop in the village. He sus-
tained loss; since then he is
suffering much from insanity."
9. "He has been seen naked, using
abusive words. The medical
certificate of the Civil Surgeon
of Unao, dated 11th July 1892,
shows that "Durga Bania was
taken under observation on
21st June 1892, and was at the
time very boisterous, noisy,
naked. He made several at-
tempts to assault and bite peo-
ple who attended to him. Is
filthy in his habits, drinking
When admitted to the Asylum he
was noisy, bad sleeper, and trouble-
some.
The cause "ganja-smok-
ing"
was put
down
from
the medical certificate. The idea
seems to be that he was constant-
ly insane from ganja, a case of
peculiar intolerance to the drug.
There was no mention of the
brain in the record of the post-
mortem examination held by the
Assistant Surgeon.