See also:

• DELIRIUM (a Latin medical term for madness, from delirare, to be mad, literally to wander from the lira, or furrow)

DELIRIUM (a Latin medical See also:

• TERM

term for madness, from delirare, to be mad, literally to wander from the See also:

• LIRA

lira, or furrow)  , a . temporary See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of See also:

• BRAIN (A.S. braegen)

brain disorder, generally occurring in connexion with some See also:

• SPECIAL

special form of bodily disease . It may vary in intensity from slight and occasional wandering of the mind and incoherence of expression, to fixed delusions and violent maniacal excitement, and again it may be associated with more or less of See also:

• COMA (Gr. K(.7)

coma or insensibility . (See See also:

• INSANITY (from Lat. in, not, and sanus, sound)

INSANITY, and See also:

• NEUROPATHOLOGY

NEUROPATHOLOGY.) See also:

• DELIRIUM (a Latin medical term for madness, from delirare, to be mad, literally to wander from the lira, or furrow)

Delirium is See also:

• APT

apt to occur in most diseases of an acute nature, such as fevers or inflammatory affections, in injuries affecting the brain, in See also:

• BLOOD

blood diseases, in conditions of exhaustion, and as the result of the See also:

• ACTION

action of certain specific poisons, such as See also:

• OPIUM (Gr. amov, dim. from Orbs, juice)

opium, See also:

• INDIAN

Indian See also:

• HEMP (in O. Eng. henep, cf. Dutch hennep, Ger. Hanf , cognate with Gr. Kavval3er, Lat. cannabis)

hemp, See also:

• BELLADONNA (from the Ital. belle donna, " beautiful lady," the berries having been used as a cosmetic)

belladonna, See also:

• CHLOROFORM (trichlor-methane), CHC13

chloroform and See also:

• ALCOHOL

alcohol . Delirium tremens is one of a See also:

• TRAIN (M. Eng. trayn or trayne, derived through Fr. from Late Lat. trahinare, to drag, draw, Lat. trahere, cf. trail, trace, ultimately from the same source)

train of symptoms of what is termed in medical nomenclature acute alcoholism, or excessive See also:

• INDULGENCE (Lat. indulgentia, indulgere, to grant, concede)

indulgence in alcohol . It must, however, be observed that this disorder, although arising in this manner, rarely comes on as the result of a single debauch in a See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person unaccustomed to the abuse of stimulants, but generally occurs in cases where the See also:

• NERVOUS

nervous See also:

• SYSTEM

system has been already subjected for a length of See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time to the poisonous action of alcohol, so that the complaint might be more properly regarded as acute supervening on chronic alcoholism . It is equally to be See also:

• BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne in mind that many habitual drunkards never suffer from delirium tremens . It was See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long supposed, and is indeed still believed by some, that delirium tremens only comes on when the See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply of alcohol has been suddenly cut off ; but this view is now generally rejected, and there is abundant See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence to show that the attack comes on while the patient is still continuing to drink . Even in those cases where several days have elapsed between the cessation from . drinking and the seizure, it will be found that in the See also:

• INTERVAL

interval the premonitory symptoms of delirium tremens have shown them-selves, one of which is aversion to drink as well as See also:

• FOOD
• FOOD (like the verb " to feed," from a Teutonic root, whence O. Eng. foda; cf. " fodder "; connected with Gr. lrareicOae, to feed)

food—the attack being in most instances preceded by marked derangement of the See also:

• DIGESTIVE

digestive functions . Occasionally the attack is precipitated in persons predisposed to it by the occurrence of some acute disease, such as See also:

• PNEUMONIA (Gr. ?rveu AMP, lung)

pneumonia, by accidents, such as See also:

• BURNS, JOHN (1858– )
• BURNS, ROBERT (1759-1796)
• BURNS, SIR GEORGE

burns, also by severe See also:

• MENTAL

mental See also:

• STRAIN (through O. Fr. straindre, estraindre, mod. i treindre, from Lat. stringere, to draw tight, related to stress, stretch, string, &c.)

strain, and by the deprivation of food, even where the supply of alcohol is less than would have been likely to produce it otherwise . Where, on the other See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand, the quantity of alcohol taken has been very large, the attack is sometimes ushered in by fits of an epileptiform See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character . One of the earliest indications of the approaching attack of delirium tremens is sleeplessness, any See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest the patient may obtain being troubled by unpleasant or terrifying dreams . During the See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day there is observed a certain restlessness and irritability of manner, with trembling of the hands and a thick or tremulous See also:

• ARTICULATION (from Lat. articulare, to divide into joints)

articulation .

The skin is perspiring, the countenance oppressed-looking and flushed, the See also:

• PULSE

pulse rapid and feeble, and there is evidence of considerable bodily prostration . These symptoms increase each day and See also:

• NIGHT

night for a few days, and then the characteristic delirium is superadded . The patient is in a See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state of mental confusion, talks incessantly and incoherently, has a distressed and agitated or perplexed See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance, and a vague notion that he is pursued by some one seeking to injure him . His delusions are usually of transient character, but he is constantly troubled with visual hallucinations in the form of disagreeable animals or See also:

• INSECTS

insects which he imagines he See also:

• SEES

sees all about him . He looks suspiciouslyaround.him, turns over his pillows, and ransacks his bedclothes for some fancied See also:

• OBJECT

object he supposesto be concealed there . There is See also:

• CONSTANT, BENJAMIN (1845-1902)

constant restlessness, a See also:

• COMMON

common form of delusion being that he is not in his own See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house, but imprisoned in some apartment from which he is anxious to See also:

• ESCAPE (in mid. Eng. eschape or escape, from the O. Fr. eschapper, modern echapper, and escaper, low Lat. escapium, from ex, out of, and cappa, cape, cloak; cf. for the sense development the Gr. iichueoOat, literally to put off one's clothes, hence to sli

escape to return See also:

• HOME
• HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS (1833-1886)
• HOME, EARLS OF

home . In these circumstances he is ever wishing to get out of See also:

• BED
• BED (a common Teutonic word, cf. German Bett, probably connected with the Indo-European root bhodh, seen in the Lat. fodere, to dig; so " a dug-out place " for safe resting, or in the same sense as a garden " bed ")

bed and out of doors, and, although in See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general he may be persuaded to return to bed, he is soon desiring to get up again . The trembling of the muscles from which the name of the disease is derived is a prominent but not invariable symptom . It is most marked in the muscles of the hands and arms and in the See also:

• TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue . The character of the delirium is seldom See also:

• WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

wild or noisy, but is much more commonly a See also:

• COMBINATION (Lat. combinare, to combine)

combination of busy restlessness and indefinite fear . When spoken to, the patient can See also:

• ANSWER (derived from and, against, and the same root as swear)

answer correctly enough, but immediately thereafter relapses into his former See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition of incoherence . Occasionally maniacal symptoms develop themselves, the patient becoming dangerously violent, and the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case thus assuming a much graver aspect than one of See also:

• SIMPLE

simple delirium tremens .

In most cases the symptoms undergo See also:

• ABATEMENT (derived through the French abattre, from the Late Latin battere, to beat)

abatement in from three to six days, the cessation of the attack being marked by the occurrence of See also:

• SOUND
• SOUND, THE (Danish Oresund)

sound See also:

• SLEEP (0. Eng. slcepan; Ger. schlafen; cf. Lat. labi, to glide, and " slip ")

sleep, from which the patient awakes in his right mind, although in a state of See also:

• GREAT

great See also:

• PHYSICAL

physical prostration, and in great measure if not entirely oblivious of his condition during his illness . Although generally the termination of an attack of delirium tremens is in recovery, it occasionally proves fatal by the supervention of coma and See also:

• CONVULSIONS

convulsions, or acute See also:

• MANIA

mania, or by exhaustion, more especially when any acute bodily disease is associated with the attack . In certain instances delirium tremens is but the beginning of serious and permanent impairment of See also:

• INTELLECT (Lat. intellectus, from intelligere, to understand)

intellect, as is not infrequently observed in confirmed drunkards who have suffered from frequent attacks of this disease . The theory once widely accepted, that delirium tremens was the result of the too sudden breaking off from indulgence in alcohol, led to its treatment by See also:

• REGULAR

regular and often large doses of stimulants, a practice fraught with mischievous results, since however much the delirium appeared to be thus calmed for the time, the continuous supply of the See also:

• POISON

poison which was the See also:

• ORIGINAL

original source of the disease inflicted serious damage upon the brain, and led in many instances to the subsequent development of insanity . The former system of prescribing large doses of opium, with the view of procuring sleep at all hazards, was no less pernicious . In addition to these methods of treatment, See also:

• MECHANICAL

mechanical See also:

• RESTRAINT (from " to restrain," Lat. restringere, to hold back, prevent)

restraint of the patient was the common practice . The views of the disease which now, prevail, recognizing the delirium as the effect at once of the poisonous action of alcohol upon the brain and of the want of food, encourage reliance to be placed for its cure upon the entire withdrawal, in most instances, of stimulants, and the liberal See also:

• ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

administration of See also:

• LIGHT

light nutriment, in addition to quietness and See also:

• GENTLE (through the Fr. gentil, from Lat. gentilis, belonging to the same gens, or family)

gentle but See also:

• FIRM

firm See also:

• CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in English of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

control, without mechanical restraint . In mild attacks this is frequently all that is required . In more severe cases, where there is great restlessness, sedatives have to be resorted to, and many substances have been recommended for the purpose . Opiates administered in small quantity, and preferably by hypodermic injection, are undoubtedly of value ; and See also:

• CHLORAL

chloral, either alone or in See also:

• CONJUNCTION (from Lat. conjungere, to join together)

conjunction with bromide of See also:

• POTASSIUM [symbol K (from kalium), atomic weight 39.114 0=16)]

potassium, often answers even better . Such remedies, however, should be administered with great caution, and only under medical supervision . Stimulants may be called for where the delirium assumes the See also:

• LOW, SETH (1850- )
• LOW, WILL HICOK (1853- )

low or adynamic form, and the patient tends to sink from exhaustion, or when the attack is complicated with some other disease .

Such cases are, however, in the highest degree exceptional, and do not affect the general principle of treatment already referred to, which inculcates the entire withdrawal of stimulants in the treatment of See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary attacks of delirium tremens .