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FURTHER ENQUIRIES REGARDING THE ALLEGED HEMP DRUG CASES OF 1892. 139

LUNATIC ASYLUM, MADRAS,

(SUPERINTENDENT, DR. THORNHILL.)

Hemp Drug cases admitted in 1892.

Name, race, occupation, district, age, and register number of lunatic.	Alleged cause of insanity Statement VII).	Type of insanity (Statement VI).	State of health on admission.	Facts ascertained from the papers.	Asylum history and facts ascertained iron) registers and from inquiry from Superintendent.
1. Kamal Sahib: Mu- salman; Cultivator; Cuddapah; 40; 32.519.	Ganja.	Mania	Bad	The papers show that nothing was known of this man's history or of the cause of his insanity. His incoherence, excitability, and sleeplessness are the principal signs of his insanity. Admitted, 10th February 1892.	On admission he was "incoherent and noisy. Repeats questions put to him. Bad health, spongy gums." He died of pneumonia on January 18th, 1893. There are no post-mortem notes except that there was consolidation of the low- er lobe of the left lung. In the Asylum there was no improvement in mental condition, while his physical health became daily worse.
2. Mustan Saheb; Mu- salman; Cultivator; Anantapur; 34; 32.520.	Ganja.	Mania	Fair	The papers show this man to have been five years insane. The cause is "unknown." The man was under the delusion that he was Emperor of Delhi, that he had unlimited wives, and that the whole world belonged to him. He was sleepless also and refus- ed food. Admttted, 10th February 1892.	On admission this man was "vo- luble and rather noisy, but on the whole fairly rational." On 21st July he is stated to have "much improved," but still suffers from delusions. The insanity is as- cribed to ganja, because the man admits that he used that drug. He informed us that he had smoked ganja for twelve years, that he never used datura seeds, but that he frequently smoked the dried leaves of the datura which produced a pleasant intoxication and was more easily obtainable than ganja. He said he thought the seeds much stronger than the dried leaves.
3. Tanikachellum; Hindu; occupa- tion unknown; Madras; 36; 32.525.	Ganja.	Mania	Fair	The papers show that the cause of this man's insanity is "un- known," that he "speaks irra- tionally and is very dirty in his habits and sometimes noisy." "His chin is swollen where he knocked it against the wall a few days ago." The Presidency Magistrate's inquiry does not attempt to reach the cause of insanity. Admitted, 18th February 1892.	On admission this man was found to have a fractured jaw, which would have to be cured before his mental condition was inquired into. On 21st July he was re- ported to be "quite rational and much improved and nearly fit to go." He was released on 22nd March 1893. The Asylum case book contains no reference to the cause of insanity, nor is there any- thing to show how the cause was determined. The Deputy Super- intendent (Mr. Judge) explains that the cause is entered in the appropriate column of the annual register at any time when it is dis- covered by the Asylum authori- ties, for the Government presses to have every effort made to as- certain the cause in all cases.
4. Sheikh Hussain; Musalman; Peon; Anantapur; 41; 31.179.	Bhang.	Mania	Good	The papers show that this man had borne a good character to the end of 1890. "At I o'clock of the 1st December 1890 the prisoner, in a state of intoxi- cation, voluntarily caused by eating ganja, beat to death bru- tally with a heavy stick on the head an old man." He was sen- tenced to transportation for life, which Government reduced to 10 years' imprisonment. The High Court found on 16th July 1891 that "the evidence of the Dis- trict Surgeon shows clearly that the abnormal state of mind of the prisoner was merely the tempo- rary effect of the intoxicant which he had taken and could not pro-	On admission Dr. Dobie entered the type as mania, adding "re- ported to be bhang, i.e., ganja." The man was "quite melancho- ly, says he has been a year in Jail. Says he is accustomed to ganja and asks for it." He has not improved in the Asylum. He still remains "violent at times." Before us he admits taking ganja.