delirium (de-lir'e-um)

A state of mental excitement characterized by restle ne , incoherence of speech, and various sensory illusions. It occurs in many psychoses or in consequence of alcoholic or other poisoning, fever, severe injuries, etc. acute d. Acute mania, developing rapidly, resulting in a speedy cure or in death, chronic d. D. of long duration, unaccompanied by fever. It is the distinctive and e ential characteristic of chronic psychoses, d. constantium. D. characterized by the continual repetition of the same fixed idea in insane patients having fever, d. cord is. Tumultuous action of the heart, d. epilepticum. A psychic derangement, either transitory and following an epileptic fit, or periodical and appearing under various epileptic forms instead of such a fit. d. e potu.