On Page 66, Isaac Hopper notes how John Hagan had “the horrors” when he attempted to commit burglary. Otherwise known as delirium tremens, the horrors are severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. These can include mental delirium, body tremors, depression, anxiety, and general alterations of one’s nervous system. The horrors can be life threatening, and immediate treatment is necessary.

In 1844, James Root published a memoir of his own experience with delirium tremens entitled “The Horrors of Delirium Tremens.” It seems likely that the title of this book popularized the nickname “the horrors” given to symptoms of delirium tremens. In the book, Root recalls his graceless descent into alcoholism and atheism, and how his bout of the horrors effected such misery as to inspire his newfound belief in the supernatural.

Sources:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000766.htm

Root, J. The Horrors of Delirium Tremens. J. Adams, 1844.