84
REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION,
1893-94.
[APP.
Note by Civil Surgeon on case of Motilal, lunatic.
The investigation into past family history of Motilal shows clearly that his insanity
was probably hereditary.
His mother and his mother's father are both known to have suffered from insanity.
The deaths of his father and brother together with money losses probably acted on
an already weak intellect and produced insanity on himself. There is no history of Moti-
lal having been excessively addicted to bhang or to dhatura at all, and there is nothing
to show that his insanity was due to these drugs.
The 2nd March
1894.
W. A. D. FASKEN,
Civil Surgeon.
In accordance with your order of the 11th February we have made a joint enquiry
into the circumstances attending the insanity of the two lunatics, Gopal and Tulsi
who were admitted into the Asylum at Agra, and whose insanity was attributed to indul-
gence in hemp drugs, and have the honour to report as follows—
(3) Case of Gopal.
The lunatic Gopal, Brahman, of Jhansi, had apparently indulged in drugs for some
ten years previous to his admission into the Asylum. As he had at the time of his ad-
mission been mad some five years, he must have been in the habit of consuming drugs
for some five years previous to his first outbreak. The evidence as to the amount of drugs
consumed is vague; but it is evident that he indulged in them to excess, for his eldest
brother says he used to smoke and drink them whenever he got a chance. He appears
to have indulged in ganja, bhang, and charas impartially. There is no evidence to show
that he partook of any other drugs, and the family state that he never drank spirits.
The insanity in this case appears to have been a very sudden case, the family not
having any suspicion as to his condition until he suddenly commenced tearing up his
clothing and anything else he could lay hands on. His father had died previous to his
attack, but some little while before; and that does not seem to have had anything to do
with the attack, as he was appointed to his father's job and worked in it up to the time
of the attack. One of the brothers says that the neighbours were angry at his appoint-
ment, and that there had been some ill-feeling about the matter. This may possibly
have tended to upset the balance of his mind.
No trace has been discovered of any actual madness among the other members of the
family, but it is quite evident that the intellectual development of the family is poor.
Gopal was the eldest son. His brothers all show distinctly weak intellectual types, but
improve as their ages diminish. The brother next to Gopal in age is distinctly the worst
of them. His appearance would certainly go to show that it would not require much to
throw his mind out of balance.
(14) The case of Tulsi Bania of Jhansi.
The insanity in this case appears to have come on gradually. It had lasted about
three years previous to his admission into hospital. It commenced with absent-minded-
ness and wandering, and eventually developed into a more dangerous type with homicidal
and suicidal tendencies.
The family in this case is a small one and consists chiefly of women who did not
appear before us. There does not appear to have been any hereditary tendency to
insanity; at any rate the father is not aware of any other relatives having displayed any
such symptoms.
The impression that his insanity was due to indulgence in hemp drugs appears to
have rested mainly on his own statements to the Civil Surgeon. From the statements