, a district and town of British India, in the Chhattisgarh division
of the Central Provinces. The district was formed in 1906 out of
portions of the districts of Bilaspur and Raipur. It has an area of 3807
sq. m., and the population on that area in 1901 was 628,885, showing a
heavy decrease in the preceding decade, owing to the famines of 1897 and
1900. The district is a long narrow tract, with lofty ridges of gravel
in the centre and north, but otherwise consisting of open rolling
country. The Tendula and Seonath are the principal rivers. Rich black
soil covers a large part of the district, and rice, wheat and other
crops are grown. The main line of the Bengal-Nagpur railway passes
through the district. Drug, the capital of the district, is on the
railway, 685 m. from Bombay, and had in 1901 a population of 4002.
Bell-metal-founding and cotton-weaving are carried on.

DRUG (from Fr. _drogue_, a word common in Romance languages, cf. Span.
and Ital. _droga_; the origin of the word is obscure, but may possibly
be connected with Dutch _droog_, dry), any organic and inorganic
substance used in the preparation of medicines, by itself or in
combination with others, and either prepared by some method or used in a
natural state (see PHARMACOLOGY and PHARMACOPOEIA). In a particular
sense "drug" is often used synonymously for narcotics or poisonous
substances, and hence "to drug" means to stupefy or poison. The word is
also applied to any article for which there is no sale, or of which the
value has greatly depreciated--a "drug in the market."

DRUIDISM, the name usually given to the religious system of the ancient
inhabitants of Gaul and the British Islands. The word Druid (Lat.
_druida_) probably represents a Gaulish _druid-s_, Irish _drui_, gen.
sing. _druad_. On the analogy of Irish _sui<su-vid-s_ the word has been
analysed into _dru-vid-_, "very knowing, wise." The ancient Welsh form
of the word does not exist. Welsh _derwydd_ and _dryw_ are probably to
be regarded as of recent coinage, as also the Breton forms _drouiz_,
_druz_. The important part played by the oak in the religious cults of
other countries suggests a connexion with Greek [Greek: drus], oak, but
this etymology is rather in disfavour at the present time.

We find in Caesar the first and at the same time the most circumstantial
account of the Druids to be met with in the classical writers. He tells
us that all men of any rank and dignity in Gaul w