The tiny people are around 30cm tall, and they wear brightly coloured suits as they follow Mr. B around his home. He can hear their feet tapping on the floor. Mr. B has never seen them before – he is a well-educated 25-year-old married man, although he has just made great efforts to reduce his excessive alcohol intake.
For two weeks, the little figures stay with Mr. B, until he finally gets an appointment with his doctor. The doctor is not entirely surprised: Mr. B is by no means alone. He identifies Mr. B’s experience as a Lilliputian hallucination, caused by the condition of delirium tremens, which can occur after an abrupt termination of alcohol abuse.
Hallucinations are a common side-effect of several diseases. Some 90% of schizophrenics hear imaginary voices that speak to them, often issuing orders. Around 25% of Parkinson’s patients see people who are not there. And such visions even affect people who are apparently completely healthy.
In many cases, the hallucinations are unpleasant, or at least undesirable, yet they cannot be treated. A new discovery may change that. A ground-breaking experiment has enabled scientists to reveal where such hallucinations come from, and how the dream-like experiences are not really very different from reality.
Small people jump on the couch
The small
