Medicine - Drugs > Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1894-1895 > Volume I
(220) Page 189
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CH. X.] REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94. 189
consisted in steadily
increasing drowsiness leading on to quiet sleep. During
the course of exposure the conjunctiva and eyelids frequently
became consider-
ably congested; but this may, of course, have been merely dependent
on direct
irritation incident on their contact with the smoke. When removed
from the
chamber, ere profound sleep had supervened, the animal was
evidently intoxicated.
In many cases he was incapable of sitting up without supporting
himself by
means of grasping the bars of his cage, and, when less profoundly
affected, was
very unsteady on his legs. On being introduced into his cage, he
not unfre-
quently, either at once or after a short delay, lay down and slept
quietly for some
time. On awaking from such sleep, as well as in those cases where
sleep did
not intervene, he almost invariably showed symptoms which appeared
to indicate
that he was for some time the subject of optical delusions. He
gazed about
attentively in directions in which nothing which seemed likely to
excite his
curiosity was present, and carefully scrutinized the floor of his
cage for objects
which did not exist. Such symptoms continued to persist for a
considerable
time after all other indications of intoxication had disappeared,
continuing to
manifest themselves in greater or less degree during the entire
course of the
latter portion of any day on which the treatment had been
administered in the
morning.
"On a certain number of
occasions, however, the symptoms did not follow
this normal course. On these the onset of signs of drowsiness was
greatly
delayed, and had hardly begun to show itself ere the animal was
suddenly seized
with violent general convulsions, and immediately thereafter became
profoundly
unconscious. The symptoms on the recovery of consciousness in no
way differ-
ed from those in cases where the earlier ones had followed the
normal course.
No satisfactory explanation of the occurrence of such exceptional
phenomena
could be arrived at, and it must remain uncertain whether they are
to be regard-
ed as the consequence of certain temporary subjective peculiarities
on the part
of the animal or of variations in the quality of the
drug.
"In no instance was there
any appreciable indication of the development of
any cerebral excitement either during the administration of the
drug or after
intoxication had been fully established. The normal symptoms were
those of
simple drowsiness and loss of will-power accompanied by optical
delusions, those
characterising the exceptional cases of temporary abnormal activity
of the spinal
cord and basal ganglia which may very probably have been dependent
on dimi-
nution in the inhibitory power of the higher cerebral
centres.
"The general health of
the animal remained excellent during the entire course
of the experiment, save for a period during the months of April and
May, in which
it suffered from dysenteric symptoms. The occurrence of these,
however, can-
not be in any way definitely ascribed to the use of the drug, as
they are of frequent
occurrence among monkeys in confinement apart from any special
treatment.
The only permanent appreciable effect resulting from the treatment
manifested
itself in the form of a very considerable diminution in appetite
for food, which
set in shortly after the initiation of the experiment, and
thereafter remained
persistent throughout its entire course.
"At the desire of the
Hemp Drugs Commission, the experiment was brought
to a close on the day following my return to Calcutta on the 12th
of July 1894.
Death was induced by means of prolonged administration of
chloroform, and a
48
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India Papers > Medicine - Drugs > Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1894-1895 > Volume I > (220) Page 189 |
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Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74574506 |
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Description | Chapter X, cont. |
Description | [Volume 1]: Report. |
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