DELIRIUM TREMENS

is a special form of delirium due to chronic alcoholism. It is apt to ocour when pneamonia or a broken leg confines the patient to bed, and also follows & specially severe mo bout. Distaste for drink is often an early symptom, which has pres riso to the erroneous belief that with old in, B alcohol induces delirium tremens. The chief symptoms are fear, tremor and restle ne ; the patient always asks for his trousers to get up and do some imaginary busine round the corner, or will if not restrained go out without troubling to dre and may take the shortest route, viz., through the window; he is in fact aesye trying to get away from himself. Next tho appearance of imaginary objects, usually black and crawling, occurs, which inspire further fear. These objects vary with tho patient’s occupation: the miner just home from the Capo picks up diamonds “3 day, io soldier back from oy man Gee Boers and — or help, the potman ince antly polishes imaginary g tho a Kiron sees horses on the ceiling, which be directs in stentorian tones, whilst two men, who both saw pr ees rats, and who were confined in the same ward, spent all night looking for the man who had put the rats there, and finally picked their mattre es to pieces to see if he was inside. For trom one to four days the patient is ince antly moving, talking freely, rehaemg Sood and showing no sign of sleep, nor do peers draughts have much effect a dangerously powerf Finally the sufferer sinks exhausted to sleep and wakes up after many hours sane, but he may die of exhaustion before this sleep comes on. The treatment is to avoid mechanical restraint as much as po ible, and the best of all is to turn the patient loose in a padded room, kept well warmed and allow him to wander round and round until he sleeps. Such s padded room is to be obtained at the nearest poor-law infirmary. hear this, sufficient nurses must be always present to prevent him from coming to harm. An enema should be given early in the attack, as it Ghee the patient more than any sleeping draught. A little beef tea and somatose is the best nourishment, which can often be administered by coaxing judiciously. The patient is rarely dangerous to others. [s. 350]