Drug Abuse

 

(r) Personal and family history of Ram Lall, lunatic.
Letter No. 1347,dated the roth May 1894, from the Collector of Etah.

IN continuation of this office No. 1273, dated 2nd instant, has the honour to forward the statements of three* witnesses, with the remark that it seems generally believed in the village that the madness was brought on by charas-smoking. Ram Lall himself thinks so, and adds that he has now given up the drug.
2. it is difficult to elicit from these people the exact quantity that was habitually smoked and the period over which the smoking continued.
3. They seem afraid to speak the truth. In any case, since his discharge the man has never suffered, and that is two years ago.

* (1) The brother of Ram Lall, and
(2) The chaukidar of the village, who both saw him smoke, and
(3) Ram Lall himself.

EDGAR GALBRAITH,
Collector of Etah..

(2) Case of Motilal.

In accordance with the District Magistrate's orders I held an enquiry into Motilal's insanity. I do not know why Motilal's insanity has been attributed to the excessive use of bhang and dhatura. Perhaps no proper enquiry has hitherto been made as to the cause of insanity. He was only in the habit of taking bhang in moderate quantities, which could not have deranged his brain. He is said to have never taken dhatura at all. Motilal's mother had attacks of insanity at different times. His maternal grandfather is also subject to periodical attacks of insanity. Motilal had an elder brother who managed all the family business. After his death this all devolved on Motilal, the father being incapacitated from old age. The strain was too much for Motilal, who had no knowledge of business, and who incurred heavy losses. This preyed on his mind and led to his losing his reason. He had also the taint of hereditary insanity.
B. D. MISRA, Magistrate, ist class.

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 shovv 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 ith 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 ha.ve been in the habit of consuming drugs for some five years previous to his first outbreak. The ev.-idence 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 vvhile 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.

04) The case of Tulsi Bania of Yhansi.

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 now made before us this appears to have been a hallucination on his part. His father declares that to his knowledge he never indulged in them at all.

H. O. W. ROBARTS, Yalta Magistrate, Yhansi. G. M. NIXON, M.S., Civi/ Surgeon.

REPORT ON FOUR AGRA LUNATICS.

(4) Case of Yugla, Brahman.

The family of the lunatic is poor. He has never suffered any shock, nor has he suffer-ed from any severe illness. No other member of the family has ever been mad, nor is any trace of hereditary weakness or disease to be found.

The lunatic has for many years been addicted to the excessive use of charas. He
has remained in the Bareilly Asylum once, and is now again a lunatic. He still smokes charas.

[Note.—Three brothers and a cousin of the lunatic state that " jugla is again mad. No other member of our family, male or female, ever went mad. He always smokes charas very heavily. * • He has never suffered any great loss nor received any shock to cause his madness."]

(10) Case of Murli Singh.

The inquiry- shows that the lunatic was never addicted to smoking charas, but that he was addicted to.drink. His property was sold up, but the debt was contracted by his father. No other member of the family has ever been lunatic. No trace of any hereditary weakness or disease can be discovered. The lunatic is said to have attended a patwari's wedding and having consumed too much alcohol to have gone mad. The lunacy has wrong-ly been atributed to " charas."

02) Case of Kundan Lall.

This man went mad two years ago. Since his release from the asylum he has kept well until a few days ago when he again became violent and is now once more under observation. His lunacy was formerly ascribed to " bhang," but his relatives entirely deny that he has ever used or consumed a.ny intoxicant. The family is a poor one. No other member of it ever became lunatic. The lunatic contracted syphilis, but there is no- trace of hereditary weakness or disease in the family. The lunatic has not the appearance of a charas-smoker, and his lunacy has been wrongly ascribed to " drugs."

(16) Case of Kishan Lall.

The lunacy is ascribed by the relative to the excessive consumption of drugs and opium. The lunatic contracted syphilis, but no trace of insanity or hereditary disease is to be discovered in any other member of the family. The lunatic's father and brother are both Pandits, but the lunatic himself appears to have always neglected the hereditary occupation and to have taken to evil courses when a young man. He has suffered no great loss, nor any severe shock. He has one son, who is well and perfectly sane.

[Note.—Kishan Lall's brother says : " He has been lunatic for some three years. It was through the con-sumption of bhang, charas, and opium that he became so. He is thirty-two years of age. In his youthful days he contracted syphilis, and then he took to drugs. * * He eats very little, but consumes intoxicants to any extent, limited only by his ability to obtain them."]

The above information has been obtained by questioning the near relatives of each lunatic who live either with him or near him. A copy of the •information extracted from them in each case is attached. Two of these cases clearly arise from consumption of drugs while two have been wrongly- attributed to them. I fear that police-officers are only too prone to put down every case of insanity to the consumption of drugs, in order to save themselves the trouble of making a proper inquiry.

The agth March x894.    W. TUDBALL, I.C.S., Joint Magistrate.

There is nothing for me to add to Mr. Tudball's remarks, save that throughout the en-quiry the point aimed at was to distinguish between immediate and ultimate causes inducing lunacy in each case, and, so far. as such nice distinctions were possible, between the ultimate exciting, and the determining cause. That is to say, very briefly, that the fact of the lunatic having taken some form of hemp, at some time, in greater or less quantity, habitually or occasionally or rarely was of course noted, and then the bearing of that fact upon his general condition, physical and mental, was elucidated, e.g., were the charas-smoking and the " lunacy" both results of an antecedent ultimate cause, the charas being merely an ex-citing or determining cause ? The appeal to hemp might indicate a want of mental control suggesting some antecedent mental disease or instability. In the two cases here set down to hemp we think it fairly established that the hemp was a true " cause," ultimate and ex-citing. I only add this note to show that we were aware of the less direct terms of the problem.

ERNEST ROBERTS, M.B.,The nth March 1894.    Civil Surgeon, Aligarh.

5. Deoki Das.—No report received.

6. Krishna Parshad.—The lunatic cannot be traced.

7. Gulab, Mussalman.—The lunatic cannot be traced.

(8) Notes of an enquiry held in consultation ,with the Civil Surgeon into the personal and family history of Narain Khatri, once a lunatic.

1. Narain came back from Agra very thin and weak, but is now looking fairly well : does money-changing for his father.

2. Family history. —Ram Charan, his father, says he himself was never mad, nor was his father or his mother. His brothers were all healthy and long-lived. His sister's husband is insane ; has been so 30 years with lucid intervals ; this man took to ganja and charas since he was mad ; his wife, Ram Charan's sister, once had an attack of insanity of three weeks' duration. Her daughter died mad.

Ram Charan says he never himself indulged in hemp drugs. The wome n, his sister and niece, did not indulge in hemp drugs. Ram Charan's wife and her relations are sane. The family, now fallen into decay, was once one of prosperous traders.

3. Personal history.—Narain first became mad o years ago. He began with bad attacks of fever. In two months he became violent. He was then 21. Up to that time he had, like all Hindus, taken a little bhang on holidays, but no ganja or charas. After he became mad he used to smoke ganja up to 4 annas worth and sometimes 8 annas worth in a day. Then his father chained him up. He demanded ganja, and his father used to give him about Thths of a tola of ganja daily. After about se ven years of this he became very violent, and his father sent him to the Lunatic Asylum. He did not begin to take ganja for two years after his madness began; then he used to break his bonds and get ganja in the bazaar.

He was never subject to epilepsy. He was well conducted up to his madness. Since he became mad, has heen in the habit of constant masturbation. Before he became mad used to eat, drink, sleep, and work well.

Ganja had a bad effect on him.

Ram Charan has seven sons and three daughters. All are healthy and sane, except Gokal, two and a half years younger than Narain. Gokal went mad about the same time as Narain, and has been mad ever since. He too was violent, and up to eight months ago was chained up. After being mad for two years he began to indulge in ganja: after two months of this his father tied him up and has not given him ganja since. Rarn Charan appears to be telling the truth as far as he knows.

4. Narain himself denies having indulged in hemp drugs before he became " ill," denies having been immoral. His statements are not worth much.

5. I have also conversed about Narain with a respectable merchant of Cawnpore, who knows the family well and is distantly related to it. He corroborated what Narain's father told me. Both these men appeared to me to be speaking the truth, and I was un-able to find out anything more than they had disclosed.

H. WARBURTON, The 16th February r894.    yoint Magistrate.

9. Nemur Passi.—This man cannot be traced.

10. Murli Singh.—Vide Report No. 4.

11. Bhowani Teli.—This man cannot be traced.

12. Kundan Lall.—Vide Report No. 4.

(13) Case of Jhalka.

Dhanju.—Jhalka is my own brother—elder brother. He is now at his home in Bilayan. He and I live separately. When he came from Agra last Asar he was in good health. He is now all right in his mind, but has become very weak. He has to remain lying down and can't do any work. If any one gives him any roti he eats it. He has a wife and two children. They and I support him. Formerly he was a labourer. He has always lived in Bilayan. I don't know how it was he became paghat. He did not take any- noxious drug. He used not to take any ganja. I never take ganja. He had not been paghal before the occasion on which he went to Agra. I can't tell how it was he became paghal.

Report.

I have been unable to find out anything very definite about Jhalka. His brother, Dhanju, seems to be the only person who knows anything about the case and his state-ment is forwarded. Dr. Leopold, the present Civil Surgeon, did not treat Jhalka as he was not then in this district, so he knows nothing about the case. I have not t hought fit to drag in Jhalka himself from Bilayan as he is now sick.

ORAI ;    C. STEEL, The 13th March 1894.    Magistrate of Jalaun.

(15) Ralla Singh.

Copy of a letter No. 201, dated the ritth April 1894, from the Civil Surgeon, Jullunder, to the Deputy Commissioner, Jullunder.

With reference to your No. 341 of 26th ultimo, I have the honour to state that with Pundit Hari Kishen, Extra Assistant Commissioner, I questioned the father of the man, Ralla Singh, alleged to have been insane. As, however, the alleged insanity supervened when Ralla Singh was serving with the 45th Sikhs in Jhansi, we elicited nothing vvhich could throw any light on the cause of the condition. The father, Nathu, is a very healthy man, and says there is no disease, mental or other hereditary, in his family.

The perusal of the papers has suggested to me that possibly the man was not really insane 'and that on that account the Superintendent and visitors discharged him a few days after his admission. The statement of Nathu and the report of the Extra Assistant Commissioner are enclosed.

Copy of report made by Pundit Hari Kishen, Extra Assistant Commissioner, dated the 14th April 1891, to the Civil Surgeon, Jullunder.

With reference to correspondence in regard to Ralla Singh, Sepoy, I have the honour to report that after issuing verbal orders to the police as to whereabouts of the man, it was found from the report of the Police Deputy Inspector at Adampur that Ralla Singh origi-nally belonged to Mauza Chukhiara in the Jullunder Tahsil, and was now in Meerut in the Police Department. His father, Nathu, was then sent for from his village.and examin-ed by me in your presence. I beg to submit his statement for your perusal. This state-ment, or rather Ralla Singh's past fa.mily history, does not throw any light on the cause of his insanity. It will, however, be observed from the statement that Ralla Singh, while in the 45th Infantry at Jhansi, was subject to insanity and sent to the Agra Lunatic Asylum. Under these circumstances an enquiry into the personal character of the man during his employment in the Jhansi 45th Infantry might be of some use, if made through the medical officer in charge of the Infantry.

Statement of Nathu, son Qf Charat Singh, caste. Mahton, age so years, of Mauza Chukhiara, in the Jullunder District.

Ralla Singh, Sepoy, is my son. He is now etnployed as bugler in the Meerut Police. He is of strong constitution and healthy.; is now of about 2 2 years of age. I have always enjoyed a good health. I have never taken any liquor, bhang, charas, poppy-heads or opium during the whole of my life, nor has my wife (mother of Ralla Singh) ever used these articles. My father even did not use these articles, nor was he or myself ever subject to insanity. My son, Ralla Singh, to the best of my knowledge, did not take any bhang, charas, or any other intoxicating drug or liquor. He was employed as bugler in the 45th Infantry at Jhansi for four years. He came on 31 months' leave about the Bysakhi time two years ago (this corresponds with April 1892), and worked with me as an agriculturist in good health and returned to his Infantry after the expiry of his leave. After two months I heard that he became lunatic, and was sent from Jhansi to the Agra Lunatic Asylum. After a month or so he was discharged from the Asylum and came to me at my village and lived with me in good health for two months and then proceeded to Meerut, where he is now employed in the Police Department as a bugler. I don't know what was the cause of his insanity at Jhansi.

JULLUNDER ;    PUNDIT HARI KISHEN, The 10th April 1894.    Magistrate, Ist class.

(17) Notes on the previous history of Ganga Lohar, of Agra, age 26, No. 220 in the Asylum register.

Ganga, lunatic, is quite insane and can give no information about himself. The follow-ing notes have been gathered from his mother and brother. His father died when Ganga was only a few years old. The only history of madness in the family is that his father's elder brother once became insane for a few days. He dug up the floor of his house, was violent, and talked nonsense. They took him away to a neighbouring village in a cart, where some religious ceremony was performed, and he completely recovered and lived well for five years afterwards. None of the members of his family were ever addicted to the use of hemp drugs. Ganga began the.habit when he was about 15 years old, and took bhang regularly every day and also charas and ganja whenever he could get them. He acquired the habit through bad associates, with whom he used to smoke at his shop, which was some little distance from his house.

Three years ago, at the time of the Dewali, his wife, to whom he had been married four years, developed symptoms of madness, and after 2i months " transferred her mad-ness to her husband, and has ever since been sane herself." His mother and wife kept him at home for nearly two years, during the whole of which time he continued the use of the hemp drugs whenever he could get them, and the two women had very little power of restraint over him. He improved slightly now and again, but never had any real lucid interval. The symptoms of his madness were the following, via., he talked nonsense, was very destructive, threw away his clothes and tools, and refused to do any work.

The fact that his uncle was once insane (his father having died while Ganga was yet an infant) admits the possibility of heredity being factor in the causation of his insanity. The exciting and immediate cause was probably the abuse of hemp in all its forms.                       

AGRA ;    A. J. WILLCOCKS, M.D., The 14th February 1894.    Civil Surgeon.

The above inquiry was made in my presence, and I quite agree with the Civil Sur-geon as regards his opinion as to the cause of insanity.

No. 18. Hari Kishor.—No further information obtainable.

W. CLARKE, The 14th February 1894.    Deputy Magistrate.