Mania and Manna

MANIA (from Greek mania—madness, frenzy), alongside melancholia, is one of the oldest psychiatric concepts, used to designate a pathologically elevated mood combined with motor agitation, sometimes joyful and complacent with a positive assessment of one's own personality and the world, and sometimes sharply aggressive with destructive tendencies and severe clouding of consciousness. Mania, like melancholia, until the early 20th century was regarded as an independent disease of the affective sphere with a relatively favorable prognosis. According to degree, authorities distinguished manic exaltation (exaltatio maniacalis), typical mania (mania typica), and severe form of mania (mania gravis). At the present time, the existence of mania as an independent disease is not recognized; most of the most pronounced cases of mania, uncomplicated by other symptoms, have become part of the broad group of manic-depressive psychosis (see). In a broader sense, "manic" is still used to describe any state accompanied by motor agitation and elevated mood, regardless of the disease in which it occurs (see Manic state). In addition to the aforementioned psychiatric understanding of mania and manic syndrome, the general public associates the term "mania" with the notion of isolated disorders of mental functions having the character of a morbid urge, passion, persistent and strange habit. Esquirol called such anomalies of drive monomanias. Possessors of such urges were called maniacs. Corresponding to the most striking sign, various additional names were attached to the word "mania." If the aspiration to suicide came to the foreground, it was called suicidomania; if an increased interest in acts of a sexual character—erotomania, in theft—kleptomania, in arson—pyromania, the urge for sad thoughts—lypemania (lypemania, Esquirol's synonym for melancholia). From this period in the history of psychiatry, such terms as delusions of grandeur and delusions of persecution have been preserved. However, in modern scientific psychiatry, the term "mania" is no longer used in this sense. Lit.—see lit. under the article Manic-depressive psychosis.

Yu. Cannabich. MANNA (Manna, State Pharmacopoeia VII), air-dried juice obtained from incisions made on the bark of the ash tree Fraxinus ornus L. (fam. Oleaceae), a young tree (10–20 years old) up to 3–7 m in height. Manna for medical use is obtained chiefly in Italy (northern part of the island of Sicily, but not in Calabria, where it is no longer collected at all). In commerce, the following grades are distinguished: 1) M. cannellata (Manna a cannelo)—the best grade, tubular manna; triangular-grooved pieces up to 15 cm in length, sweet taste, peculiar odor, soluble in water and hot alcohol. 2) M. electa (M. calabrina, old name)—flat and grooved pieces, white in fracture, with a sweet taste and honey odor. 3) M. communis (in sortis, sordida)—yellowish-gray or brownish soft sticky pieces of inferior grades of manna, contaminated with bits of bark, sand, and earth; not permitted for medical

Manna: 1—flower; 2—pistil; 3—cross section of ovary; 4—fruit; 5—seed.

use.—The main constituent of medical grades of manna is mannitol (80–40%, dropping to 25% in inferior grades), various sugars (2–11%), mucus, the glycoside fraxin C₁₆H₁₈O₁₀·C₁₀H₇O₄ (traces), and others; ash—1–4%. Mannitol is a hexatomic alcohol, obtained from manna, rotates the plane of polarization to the right; sweet taste; dissolves in 7 parts of water, difficultly in cold alcohol (1:100); melts at 165°. From hot alcohol it precipitates upon cooling in the form of needle-like crystals, from water—in large rhombic prisms.—In medicine, the best grades of manna are used as a mild laxative without side effects; its action is caused by the irritation of the intestine by mannitol and sugary substances in combination with colloids. Infusion, decoction, syrup (Sirupus Mannae), solutions, and electuaries are prepared from manna; manna is also mixed with various laxatives: e.g., Vienna drink (Infusum Sennae compositum) also contains manna (though State Pharmacopoeia VII replaced manna in the Vienna drink with purified honey).—Manna obtained in other countries serves in some places as a foodstuff. "Manna", i.e., dried juice collected from young branches of the shrub Tamarix mannifera Ehrenb. after bites of the plant by the insect Coccus manniparus, was known even to the ancient Egyptians. This manna consists of a mixture of cane sugar (55%), inverted sugar (25%), and dextrin (20%). Arabs consume the mentioned manna as food and consider it to be that with which the Hebrews fed in the desert during their exodus from Egypt. This variety of manna is currently collected on Sinai and is called Sinai manna (Manna tamariscina). Varieties of Persian manna are obtained from various shrubs and trees of the families Leguminosae, Salicaceae, Fagaceae, Pomaceae, and Polygonaceae, on the branches and leaves of which a sweet juice transudes and hardens into drops. Persian manna is used for food and consumed as a delicacy. The manna ("heavenly") mentioned in the history of the Jewish people apparently represented a mass of the lichen Lecanora esculenta Evers., which at times appears in abundance in the deserts of North Africa after a heavy rain or wind. These are small, rounded pieces, mucilaginous, grayish on the outside, white on the inside, and edible. Food grades of manna contain no mannitol.