SECT. XXI. 8. OF DRUNKENNESS. 195 



verfe when he looks attentively at the candle and carelefsly at 

 the pen ; fo that in this cafe the mufcles of the eye, like thofe 

 of the limbs, ftagger and are difobedient to the-'expiring efforts 

 of volition. Numerous objects are indeed fometimes feen by 

 the inebriate, occafioned by the refractions made by the tears, 

 which (land upon his eye-lids. 



8. This vertigo alfo continues, when the inebriate lies in his 

 bed, inithe dark, or with his eyes clofed ; and this more power- 

 fully than when he is erect, and in the light. For the irrita- 

 tive ideas of the apparent motions of objects are now excited by 

 irritation from internal ftimulus,' or by aflbciation with other 

 irritative motions j and the inebriate, like one in a dream, be- 

 lieves the objects of thefe irritative motions to be prefent, and 

 feels himfelf vertiginous. 1 have obferved in this fituation, fo 

 long as my eyes and mind were intent upon a book, the fick- 

 nefs and vertigo ceafed, and were renewed again the moment I 

 difcontinued this attention ; as was explained in the preceding 

 account of fea-ficknefs. Some drunken people have been 

 known to become fober inftantly from fome accident, that has 

 ftrongly excited their attention, as the pain of a broken bone, or 

 the news of their houfe being on fire. 



9. Sometimes the vertigo from internal caufes, as from in- 

 toxication, or at the beginning of fome fevers, becomes fo univer- 

 fal, that the irritative motions which belong to other organs of 

 fenfe are fucceeded by fenfation or attention, as well as thofe of 

 the eye. The vertiginous noife in the ears has been explained 

 in Section XX. on Vertigo. The tafte of the faliva which in 

 general is not attended to, becomes perceptible, and the patients 

 complain of a bad tafte in their mouth. 



The common fmells of the furrounding air fometimes excite 

 the attention of thefe patients, and bad fmells are complained of, 

 which to other people are imperceptible. The irritative mo- 

 tions that belong to the fenfe of preflure, or of touch, are attend- 

 ed to, and the patient conceives the bed to librate, and is fear- 

 ful of falling out of it. The irritative motions belonging to the 

 fenfes of diftention, and of heat, like thofe above mentioned, 

 become attended to at this time ; hence we feel the pulfation of 

 our arteries all over us, and complain of heat, or of cold, in 

 parts of the body where there is no accumulation or diminution of 

 actual heat. All which are to be explained, as in the laft para- 

 graph, by the irritative ideas belonging to the various fenfes be- 

 ing now excited by internal ftimuli, or by their aflbciations 

 with other irritative motions. And that the inebriate, like 

 one in a dream, believes the external objects, which ufually 

 caufed thefe irritative ideas, to, be now prefent. 



10. Thfe 



