[Historical study of seven cases of delirium tremens in Spain in the first half of the XIX century].

The authors in the introduction provide an schematic historical scope of reference about the spaniard and european psychiatry from the XVIIIe to the XIXe century. They described the first seven clinical cases of Delirium found by them and published by spaniard physicians in the first half of the XIXe century. They revised mainly the clinical sintomatology, course and evolution, and went into deep detail in the hygienic-dietetical and pharmacological therapeutics used in this period, specially several galenic preparations of opium, tartarus emeticus, cremor, etc. Serapio Escolar y Morales (1808-1874) described the first clinical case of Delirium Tremens in 1839 in a 28 year old man, raising the differential diagnosis between intermittent fever, epilepsy and meningitis, and proposed a useless antiflogistic treatment (bleeding, leeches, poultice) and opium. The second case was described by an anonymous author (J.M.S.Z.) in 1845 in a 42 year old man. Francisco Castellvi y Pallares (1812-1879), in 1845, published another case in a 34 year old male, with an adequate description of the natural history of the disease, healing in 19 days with high doses of watery opium extract. The fourth clinical case was described by R.C.B. in 1846 in a 60 year old man with "alcoholic chorea", "ataxis fever" being the only one with a mortal outcome, treated also with opiates which he did not agree with. The fifth and sixth cases were published by Uliberry in 1847 in two males, 38 and 36 years old respectively. The seventh and last case was described in 1848 by F. Paula Barea, having to highlight the nosological, nosographical and evolutive perspectives in 3 clinical periods and a fourth of convalescence, the treatment differences and the etiopathogenical considerations. Included are 9 tables, 2 graphics and 29 bibliographical references.