DELIRIUM TREMENS (called, also, In Medical Jurisprudence. A form of mental disorder incident to habits of intem perate drinking, which generally appears as a sequel to a few days' abstinence from stimu lating drink.
2. The nature of the connection between this disease and abstinence is not yet clearly under stood. Where the former succeeds a broken limb, or any other severe accident that confines the patient to his bed and obliges him to it would seem as it its development were favored by the constitutional disturbance than existing. In other cases, where the abstinence is apparently vol untary, there is some reason to suppose that it is really the incubation of the disease, and sot its cause.
3. Its approach is generally indicated by a slight tremor and faltering of the hands and lower ex tremities, a tremulousness of the voice, a certain rest lessness and sense of anxiety which the patient knows not how to describe or account for, disturbed sleep, and impaired appetite. These symptoms having continued two or three days, at the end of which time they have usually increased in severity, the patient ceases to sleep altogether, and soon becomes delirious at intervals. After a while the delirium becomes constant, as well as the utter absence of sleep. This state of watchfulness and delirium con tinues three or four days, when, if the patient re cover, it is succeeded by sleep, which at first ap pears in uneasy and irregular naps, and lastly in long, sound, and refreshing alumbera. When sleep dues not supervene about this time, the disease proves fatal 4. The mental aberration of delirium tremens is marked by some peculiar characters. Almost in variably the patient manifests feelings of fear and suspicion, end labors under continual apprehen sions of being made the victim of ainiater designs and practices. He imagines that people have con spired to rob and murder him, and insists that he can hear them in on adjoining room arranging their plane and preparing to rush upon him, or that he is forcibly detained and prevented irons going to his own home. One of the most common hallucinations in this disease is that of constantly seeing devils, snakes, or vermin around him and on him. Under the influence of the terrors inspired by these notions, the wretched patient often endea vors to cut his throat, or jump out of the window, or murder his wife, or some one else whom his dis ordered imagination identifies with his enemies.
5. Delirium tremens must not be confounded with other forms of mental derangement which occur in connection with intemperate habits. Hard drinking may produce a paroxysm of maniacal ex citement, or a host of hallucinations and delusions, which disappear after a few days' abstinence from drink and are succeeded by the ordinary mental condition. In U. S. v. MeGlue, 1 Curt. C. C. 1, for instance, the prisoner was defended on the plea that the hom:cide for which he was indicted was committed in a fit of delirium tremens. There was no doubt that he was laboring under some form of insanity; but the fact, which appeared in evidence, that his reason returned before the recurrence of sound sleep, rendered it very doubtful whether the trouble was delirium tremens, although in every other respect it looked like that disease.
6. By repeated decisions the law has been settled in this country that delirium tremens annuls re sponsibility for any act that may he committed under its influence: provided, of corium, that the mental condition can stand the tests applied in other forms of insanity. The law does not look to the remote causes of the mental affection; and the rule on this point is that if the act is not com mitted under the immediate influence of intoxi cating drinks the plea of insanity is not invalidated by the fact that it is the result of drinking at some previous time. Such drinking may be morally wrong; but the same may be said of other vicious indulgences which • give rise to much of the in sanity which exists in the world. 1 Curt. C. C. 1; 5 Mas. C. C. 28; State v. Wilson, Ray, Med. Jur. 520. In the case of Birdsall, 1 Beck, Med. Jur. 808, it was held that delirium tremens was not a valid defence, because the prisoner knew, by re peated experience, that indulgence in drinking would probably bring on an attack of the disease. It is not quite certain what the rule of law is in England. Two cases are cited where the plea of delirium tremens was admitted in excuse for crime. Reg. v. Watson, and Reg. v. Simpson, Taylor, Med. Jur. 656.