The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-06-11
TEMPERANCE NOTES.

TEMPERANCE. NOTES.
pELIRluM fTREMENs.
l. Graphic Descriptions by One Who Has
Had the Disease.
There are many popular errors con-
corning the disease called delirium
tremens. :. and comparatively little
actual knowledge of its direct cause,
or the proper method of its treatment
A '.crazy drunk" maniara-potu. COM
monty called Jim jams" or the
''horrors" and delirium tremens, by
the public in general, are supposed to
be one and the same disease, when in
fact, they bear but slight resemblance.
Even the I medical fraternity are
lamentably ignorant upon the subject,
and few indeed have . just conception
of the disease or the proper treatment
to be pursued to effect cure. a."
Mania-a-potu bears about the same
relation to delirium tremens as
does . severe cold to . fever. The
difference between the two is the differ
cnce between imagination and reality.
In mania-a-potu the victim has hal
luclnations, sees strange sights, and
hears people talking to and about him,
all Of which imaginary ideas he can
be reasoned out of; but when the con-
diton of dclirium .trcmens obtains,
everything becomes a reality, and all
the powers this side of eternity cannot
inn hA ~
and it is not good policy to make the
attempt.
Another very prevalent error lies in
considering person with the tremens
q dangerous maniac. It is true that de-
lirium tremens is one of the many
forms of insanity, for the time it exists,
but the victim is in no manner danger
Gus to others. He is in constant fear.
and some trouble or danger threatens
him at every point, and his chief desire
Is TO escape, not by injuring or killing
some one, but to get away from SUR
rounding perils- Sometimes his earthly
career is to be cut short by poison, and
he will refuse food, drink or medicine.
Again, he is to be cut into pieces with
knives, and he will beg piteously for
some more speedy form of death. In
fact, death in some form threatens him
on every hand.
Although It is admitted that delirium
tremens is q + orm of insanity, pro-
duccd by excessive alcoholic indu]-
gence, it differs from ordinary insanity
in that, during the time the former con-
tinues, the person remembers dis
tinctly everything he heard or saw lin
imagination) and recognizes those with
whom he is acquainted, and also re-
members actual conversation; while in
the latter case the period of insanity is
q total blank, whether it be for one
week, one year or more. Medical au
thority and the statistics of various in
ebriate asylums will bear out this state
ment.
Another error, and one that often
emanates from so-callcd temperance
lecturers. who. either from ignorance
or desire to create sensation and pro-
found horror, have depicted man dy-
ing from the tremens continually
screaming for rum" Records cannot
bc produced to attest such statement.
As a matter of fact, q person will often
quit drinking when de]irium COM
mences without knowing that he is in
that condition. In an actual case he
never realizes that he is dclirious. He
imagines himself all right and every
ono else wrong.
Another error lies in the supposition
by many that q person always dies
from the third attack. With proper
treatment he may pass through many,
and finally die from old age. Again,
the idea is entertained, and even by
some physicians, that a complete with
drawal of alcoholic stimulants from an
excessive drinker is liable to produce
delirium. On the contrary, when the
system becomes impregnated to Ger
tain degree with alcoholic poison, de-
lirium will supervene whether the
habit is continued or not TO continue
drinking or to partake of intoxicants
at oil. is merely to add fuel to fire, or
poison to poison.
While there is no danger to be feared
from q person in delirium tremens,
there is great danger to the life of the
sufferer, if not under complete re-
straint, and q person may be afflicted
for days or even weeks before the dis
ease is recognized US such, and many
cases Of suicide may be attributed to
this cause. A case is remembered by
the writer of q physician of high
standing in the community, while suf-
fcring from the disease and an inmate
of an institution, who called for his
surgical case, and when asked for what
purpose, answered that his abdomen
was full of small snakes, and he OK
posed to perform surgical operation
on himself to dislodge them. Had he
been homo, undoubtedly q suicide
would have been recorded in papers
cause unknown. Another person,
after being pursued by demons of
every description, and threatened with
death in many forms, was told by an
immense fish which swan into his
room that by taking q certain prepare
ton he would be enabled to live under
water, and so escape all prosecutions
II the victim had been ut liberty, he
might have tried the experiment, and
'hoater" would have been reported.
The Voice.
A BEAUTY DESTROYER.
The Woman Who Drinks Wine Must Risk
Having q Red Nose.
An Englishman, lately on this side.
remarked with some surprise on the
comparative Indifference the average
American woman shows for wine. He
gazed with open establishment on tile
feminine contingency at q largo dinner
who slipped but q thimblcful of
champagne, moistcned their lips with
claret, took spoonful of Rhine wine,
and almost ignored the cordials. He
openly asserted that the British matron