492 Mr. A. Christison on Cannabis indica. 



An interminable variety of ideas enters the mind when under the 

 influence of hemp. In the work of Moreau, * Du Haschich,' some in- 

 teresting details of these effects are given. Among others, M. Theo- 

 phile Gautier, in describing his sensations, says : — " After a feeling of 

 numbness, it appeared to him that his body became transparent, and 

 that he saw within his breast the haschich which he had eaten, in 

 the form of an emerald, from which issued millions of little sparks. 

 At the same time his eyelashes became indefinitely elongated, and 

 began to roll as gold threads Upon small ivory wheels which revolved 

 with great velocity." A very curious effect was an increase of his 

 power of hearing, whereby slight noises became as loud as thunder, 

 and he heard the noise of colours, green, red, blue and yellow sounds 

 coming to him in perfectly distinct waves ; he did not dare to use his 

 voice in case he should knock down the walls or burst himself like 

 a bomb. His calculation of the time he enjoyed these dreams was 

 about 300 years ; the fact being that only a quarter of an hour had 

 elapsed. 



Dr. Christison describes the effects upon himself as follows : — On 

 trying Mr. Robertson's extract once for toothache, I found that about 

 4 grs. taken about 3 a.m. caused in an hour cessation of pain, a 

 pleasant numbness in the limbs, giddiness, a rapid succession of un- 

 associated ideas and impossibility to follow a train of thought, frequent 

 intervals of sleep, and slight increase in the force of the pulse ; at the 

 same time he felt no pain, while he was quite conscious the toothache 

 was present. Next morning there was an ordinary appetite, much 

 torpidity, great defect and shortness of memory, extreme apparent 

 protraction of time, but no peculiarity of articulation or other effect, 

 and these symptoms lasted till 2 p.m., when they ceased entirely in 

 a few minutes after taking lemonade. 



One or two cases have come under my own observation ; the first 

 of these illustrates the less powerful and more gradual effect, when 

 the hemp extract is taken in the form of pill. On the 3rd of April at 

 4 p.m., a friend took 2 grs. of the extract prepared by Mr. Robert- 

 son. At a quarter past six he felt as if weak, chiefly about the knees, 

 with slight inclination to laugh ; stupidity and forgetfulness, but with- 

 out reverie ; he continued in this state till he retired to bed, where 

 he slept soundly. Next day he was perhaps more stupid than before, 

 but was enlivened by drinking lemonade ; he was not exactly himself 

 till the following day ; his appetite was strong, but he was not affected 

 in any other way. 



In the second experiment I took on the same day 1 gr. of the same 

 extract dissolved in spirit, and though only half the quantity used in 

 the first case, the effects were much more apparent. At a quarter past 

 five, when sitting down to dinner, I felt a peculiar numbness creeping 

 through my body and limbs ; I did not think this was the action of 

 the Cannabis, and began to fancy I was very ill, so that I could not 

 eat my dinner ; I lay down, and the numbness continued for a quarter 

 of an hour, when my sensations became agreeable. I laughed heartily 

 several times, answered questions incoherently, and immediately forgot 

 what they were about ; delightful reveries came over me, and whatever 

 I looked at became lost as it were in a maze ; the lamp appeared to 



