Report of the Superintendent, Baredly Asylum, on the Hemp Drug easel of 1892.

No. 1.—Nathu, Hindu.—The history shows Nathu began using charas after he be-. came insane.

The evidence is to the effect that " he was never seen to take any such things before he became an insane ; but subsequently, when he lost his senses, he used to haunt about the shops of charas and wine ; a.nd people had seen him sometimes taking charas."

No. 2.—Fakeray, Hindu.—We have gone into this case very carefully and examined not only tbe man himself, but also his mother and two of his friends who were with him when he became insane. All the witnesses deny that he ever used charas, and in the face of such strong evidence I think the case should be expunged from the hemp drugs list. His symptoms on admission were such as might have been brought about by the use of intoxicants, and charas-smoking was the cause given in his papers. These documents are, however, very carelessly filled, and it seems probable Chat a mistake was made in this instance.

No 3.—Moti, Hindu.—The evidence in this case is now very clear and throws ad-ditional light on the cause of his insanity. It appears that he was the adopted son of one Makan Singh, to whom he was " much attached." The latter was a charas-smoker, and 1Moti contracted the habit as a boy. He enjoyed good health until the time of his adopted father's death, a few days after which he became insane. The immediate cause of insanity was therefore grief. Whether the shock above referred to would have had this effect ha-d he not been a charas-smoker it is impossible to say. He became quite sane after his ad-mission to the asylum in June 1891 and was discharged cured. On going out, however, he at once took to charas and was re-admitted in April 1892. He is still an inmate of the Asylum, and although fairly well I have little doubt that if discharged he would .00n be brought back. In view of the additional facts brought to light, I should describe the case as one of acute mania due to grief. I am, however, of opinion that charas-smoking was a predisposing cause.

No. 4.-Jamna, Hindu.—The thanadar, Philkhua police station, reports "that Jamna left his home about 22 years ago, and that during this period he visited his house once only about twelve years ago. Since then he was living with his brother in Mussoorrie Hills, and there he got insane and was sent to Bareilly Lunatic Asylum, where he died. The villagers can give no further information. about his illness, as he was absent from his home about 2 2 years."

No. 5.—Dariao Singh.—Was admitted to the asylum in a miserable state of health on t2th September 1892. Further investigation shows that there is a history of hereditary insanity, and although there is evidence of his having taken charas and bhang, his illness cannot be said to be due to the use of these drugs. He died about three weeks after ad-mission from ozcena and general debility.

Post-mortent examination.—Body thin and emaciated : three holes in upper part of nose : soft palate perforated, and mucous me mbrane lining the nose ulcerated.

Internal organs generally anxmic.

The further inquiry showed that "Puland Singh, father of Dariao Singh, had also been a lunatic, and that Punai Singh and Buddhi Singh, sons of the said Dariao Singh, are lu-natics as well." The evidence as to the use of drugs by Dariao Singh was conflicting.

The following passage from the Talisildar's report is interesting :—" Dariao Singh's insanity is considered hereditary, merely on the ground that the disease is passing down his family from one member to another. This conclusion may perhaps be regarded as con-tradictory with reference to the European system of medical jurisprudence. But besides. those mentioned above no other particular cause of insanity has been found in the above named village."

No. 6.—Mahangu Singh.—This man is now residing at Arrah. There are none of his relatives here and no additional information can be obtained regarding him. The case is re-corded as one of toxic insanity due to over-indulgence in bhang. Any further information required may be obtained through the Government of Bengal.

[Inquiry was accordingly made regarding the past, personal, and family history of Mahangu Singh in the Arrah district. The result is as follows :—

1. Is there any history of insanity in any near relation of the lunatic ?   No, according to his statement.

2. Is there any other cause (misfortune, jealousy, grief, fear, illness, injury, etc.) to which the insanity might be ascribed ?   Apparently not.

3. Was the lunatic a moderate or excessive consumer of bhang ? Was he an habitual or occasional consumer ?  He was a moderate consumer for about a year and experienced no ill-effects. He was about six months at Rampur and during that period consumed it to excess: the madness came on suddenly. He has not consumed any bhang since then.

4. Had lie consumed an unusual quantity of bhang about the time he became insane, and did he continue to consume it after becoming insane?' He was a moderate consumer for about a year and experienced no ill-effects. He was about six months at Rampur and during that period consumed it to excess : the madness• came on suddenly. He has not consumed any bhang since then.

5. Why do his friends or those who filled up the descriptive roll think that bhang caused his insanity ? Because there was no other known cause..

6. Was he addicted' to any other intoxicant, such as opium, alcohol, dhatura, etc. ?   No, according to his statement.

From our enquiry the insanity appears to have been caused solely by the excessive use, of bhang. lt will be noticed that while he was a moderate consumer he experienced no ill-effects, but, on the other hand, was in excellent health. When he commenced immoderate consumption he lost his appetite and could not eat his full rations.

J. H. GARRETT, Joint Magistrate, Shahabad.
W. FLOOD MURRAY, Surgeon-Lieut.-Colonel, The 2nd 7anuary z894.    Civil Surgeon.

No. 7.—Bhowani Singh.—The evidence in this case shows that insanity (toxic) vvas brought about by charas-smoking. The case is very similar to that of Niadar, report-ed on below, and confirms the fact that insanity may be produced by a single indulgence in the drug. Bhowani Singh became insane after smoking charas at the time of Holi festival. He recovered soon after his admission to the Asylum and has remained well since. He is quite candid as regards the cause, and I see no reason to doubt his statement, which
is confirmed by his mother and brother. The Assistant Collector's report after further enquiry was as follows :--

" The civil officer who conducted the further inquiry in consultation with the Civil Surgeon ' reported as-follows: With much difficulty Bhowani Singh was found ; and I have recorded the statements of his brother and mother. The only reason they are able to suggest for his going mad is that he smoked some charas at the Holi festival. He never smoked before or since, or used any intoxicant '".

No. 8.—Devi, Hindu.—Every effort has been made to find this man, but without success. The case is recorded in the Asylum books as one of toxic insanity due to the use of ganja and alcohol. It cannot fairly be attributed to hemp drugs entirely, as the alcohol was, no doubt, an important element in the case.

No. 9.—Shamsher Bahadar.—There is only one relative of this man in the Bareilly district, viz., his uncle, Mangli Lal. He states that Shamsher Bahadur was a charas-smoker, and there is no other cause assigned for his insanity. He was admitted to this Asylum with symptoms such as would be produced by excessive use of intoxicants, such as charas. He was, however, also addicted to the use of country liquor, which it may be pre-sumed was a factor in the case.

In my opinion this was a case of toxic insanity produced by over-indulgence in charas and liquor.

There is no history of insanity in his family.

If any further information is required about this case it might be obtained from the authorities at Malwa, where the man now resides.

No. 10.—Balak Ram.—The evidence collected in this case clearly proves that it was one of hereditary insanity and was not due to bhang.

No. 11.—Niadar, Chamar.—There is no doubt that this man's insanity was brought about by charas-smoking. From the history it appears that he only indulged in one chil-lum. This, if true, is an interesting fact as showing how quickly insanity may be brought about by a very small quantity of the drug. Niadar was admitted to the asylum on 8th April 1892. On 8th June he was reported as improving, and was discharged cured in Sep-tember i892. He is now well, and has not indulged in charas-smoking since his discharge. This is probably due to the fact that he was never a confirmed smoker. There is no history of insanity in his family.

The report after the further inquiry is that " he was quite well until one day, in the village of Mullakpur, some one gave him a chillum of charas. He does not know how much charas there was in the chillum. Nor does he know whether any other drug was mixed with the charas. He had never smoked charas before. * * He was for about a month at home from the time he smoked the charas until he was removed to Bareilly Asylum. During that time he ran about wild. He was quite insane." He was aged 18 years.

J. ANDERSON, M.B.