New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-12-12
The late Shocking Case OF Cntnlepsy n, Bal.
timore.


To the Editor Of TIE TribaHs:
Your correspondent; al Baltimore ret@-ms n.
dreadful fact OF young lady's having been buried
alive At Baltimore. but whholds the names and the
facts at the request of the friends OF the young Ia
dy" Let Us hope those friends will reverse their
decision 1t horrible case indeed-yet such as
has happened before and may happen again. and
these friends should reflect that there arc others in
terested besides themselves in this matter |, isim.
poraut tia. the public should be informed OF ali the
facts in order that all possible warning and instruction
may be gathered from them SO that The chances O:
q repetition OF such disaster may be diminished
sympathy towards others. good will towards the
Deichbor should stimulate those friends to furnish
all the information in their power.
In he meantime enclose you an extract from,
D,cksons Chrome Thermal System of Medicine,
where the subjsc; of Cataepsy IS alluded to in man
ner which cannot fail to interest your readers
WM TURNER, ~ D.
sig Broadpcy. NtD York.
"SLEEP.-Philosophe of all ages have made this
an objec; Of the most anxious study lis relation
Death perhaps. being their chief inducement 10 do
So Half our days says SIR Thomas Browne, we
pass In the shadow OF the earth, and sleep the
brother of DEATH cxtraceih third part of our ives
In the state of perfect sleep, the pupil OF the eye
will not contract or the approach OF sht-the skin
has no .eelipg-tbe car sense OF hearing-the
taste and Smell are not TO be reused by any OF the
ordinary stimuli What is this (iiguratvely speak
ingl bui a periodic haifdeain-speaking truly but
a neriodic palsy or cessation OF internal motion OF
the nerves by which we maintain a consciousness
of existence and perceive our relationship to the
world around US! Broken sleep consists either in
brief remssions OF the whole sleeping state, or in
wakefulness of one more oi the five senses
There are individuals, for example vino always
sleep with their eyes open, and who should see you,
were YOU 10 enter their chamber with the noise
less tread These tell You they are always half
awake. In the condition of body termed nightmare.
there is a consciousness OF existence with wake
fitness of the nerves of sight OF feeling but with
total inability influence the voluntary muscles by
any effort OF the will. The subject Of it neither
sleen nor turn himself The dreamer, portions OF
whose brain think and therefore act or move, is par
tally awake. The s0mramtuiist and sieep-taikcr
are dreamers who, having portions OF the brain IN
state OF action and others torpid, perform exploits
of deed or word. that bring you mind OF the ma
MAC and the drunkard, whose powers of Judging
are detective A man may be entirely awake, with
the execution of single member; aud this we still
refer 10 a torpil state Of some portion OF the BRAIN
Such man will tell you his ara or leg Is asleep or
dead But. as this is soporliic subject, aud may
have soporfc influence on some OF you may as
well wake you up Win an aueCuote oIothcI ineit
cal officer of the army once told me OF himself:
While serving in the East Indies, Dr. G. one
night awoke or should rather say half awoke sud-
denly when bis hand al the instant came in contact
with cold animal body. His fears magnltying this
into a cobra cape he called out most Justify, "a
snake. snaker' But before his drowsy domestics
had time to appear he found he had mistaken his
own sleeping arm FOR this most unwelcome OF ORR
entail intruders!
Gentlemen the human body in health is never asleep
throughout for when u0ltion is paralyzed-when
we are everything but dead 10 all that connects US
with the external world the heart still continues TO
beat the lungs perform their Office, and the other eS
ternal organs over which voiion has no controkeep
on their usual harmony OF motion-in other words,
the digestion OF food. the circulation OF the blood
and the other lesser motions OF organic lie, proceed
as in the waking state The more important motions
of the heart and lungs could not for many MIN
utes without epdangerng the entire lie IN the higher
animals-though these organs IN the bat. dormouse'
aud snake appear 10 be inactive for months Never
theess. even III those animals they not entirely
so-as we can easily analogically conceive. The
state termed ainting til. il strae, compartments even
in man. q temporary palsy or death OF the whole
body; but such state prolonged to q very briei Pc
ROD passes into death perpetual. Cataiepsy or
trance being sleep of ALL The organs, internal as
well as external though not of their Atoms has so
great n resemblance TO DEATH ms 10 have been fire.
ouenty mistaken for it. The subject of this condi
ZION of BODY BIZ something like the mex plea
bic power which enables the dormouse to hibernate,
NAV remain apparently dead for days and yet
life OF fish, that for mouths travellers tell u.s. have
been frozen as hard a chip
Chrome -Therm. system OF Med. page %.