Introduction
Asuni’s report based on the data from the Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, noted the gradual increase in the number of psychiatric cases with alcoholic problem. Over 60% of his cases were above the age of thirty. Similarly, in hs own study of the alcoholics admitted to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, over a ten year period. Odejide noticed that the abuse of alcohol was becoming a major health problem. As in Asuni’s report the cohort considered of middle-aged subjects. Considering similar views expressed by Marinho, there is no doubt that, there is a progressive increase in the use and abuse of alcohol in Nigeria. However, the prevalence is still relatively low compared to the percentage of those with pathological relationship to alcohol in some European countries, despite efforts to reduce the number with a well organised medical treatment and rehabiltation system like is found in West Germany. It is not known, if the incidence of delirium tremens in Jos, Nigeria, is as hish as it is in Castrop-Rauxel, West Germany. Hence it becomes necessary to examine the pattern of alcoholism in Jos and compare and contrast it with the experimental data collected from Castrop-Rauxel, West Germany where the principal author lived and worked with a hospital for many years.