Insanity

Marasmus

Marasmus is a state of disintegration of mental activity, accompanied by extreme physical exhaustion. It develops as an outcome of certain chronic diseases that mainly affect the central nervous system (for example, senile dementia, arteriosclerosis, some forms of tumors, psychoses).

Patients are usually bedridden, weak, helpless, with an expression of confusion and suffering on their faces; causeless crying and laughter are possible. Reactions in the form of moaning, screaming, etc. They arise mainly in response to bodily stimuli (inconvenience, pain). Patients often do not understand speech addressed to them at all. Their appearance is characteristic: extreme emaciation, wrinkled pale yellow skin, often covered with pigment spots of dark yellow or brown color, bedsores and diaper rash easily occur.

Such patients require careful care. They need to be fed, a vessel must be provided periodically; the bed should be comfortable and clean, an oilcloth should be placed under the sheet. To avoid bedsores, patients should be turned from their back to their side every 2 hours, wipe the skin with camphor alcohol, and sprinkle talcum powder on the areas where diaper rash occurs. Food should be crushed, fortified, without excess sweets; Despite the sharp increase in appetite in some patients, they should not be overfed. For constipation, as prescribed by the doctor, they give a laxative and give an enema.

Every day, patients are washed with a sponge, soft cloth or cotton wool moistened with warm water with the addition of potassium permanganate, vinegar, formic alcohol or vodka, then wiped with a soft towel and wrapped warmly. It should be remembered that the disease is irreversible; Patients in this condition can remain for a long time and caring for them requires a lot of patience. They usually die from associated infectious diseases (usually pneumonia) or digestive disorders (obstruction, intestinal paresis).