Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-01-17

81 cluSlonS OF some. OF MS. oSGaaDStTuSe un
Z finished calculations, in, his dreams
5 Franklin makes a,similar admission con
corning some of his political projects
which in his waking moments sorely puz
zled him. Dreams are, according to ply
siologists, akin to, delirium.
Dr.; Abercombie' states that there is s
strange analogy between dreaming and
; insanity; and he defines the difference be-
tween the two states to be- that in,the lat
ter, the erroneous Impression being per-
manent, affects the conduct; whereas, in
dreaming. no influence on the conduct is
produced, because the vision is dissipated
on waking. "This definition says Mac
nish, sis nearly, but not wholly correct;
for, in somnambulism and sleep, talking,
the conduct is Influenced by the prevail
ing dream. DR.. Rush remarks, that a
dream may be considered as transient
paroxysm of delirium, and delirium as a
permanent dream"
DR.. Winslow observes: ''Liyely dreams
are sign Of the excitement of nervous ac-
tion. Soft dreams are a sign of slight ir
riLation of The brain; foften in a nervous
fever, announcing the approach of ia
vorable crisis. Frightrul dreams are
sign Of determination OF blood TO the head.
Dreams of blood and red objects are signs
ofinfammatory conditions. Dreams about
rain and water are often signs OF diseased
Mucous membranes and dropsy. Dreams
Of distorted forms are frequently sign of
abdominal Instructions and disorder of The
liver. Dreams in which the patient sees
any part especially suffering. indicate dis
eases of that part. Dreams about death
often precede apoplexy, which is connect
ed with determination Of blood to the head.
The nightmare, with great sensitivenesS,
is sign of determination Of blood to the
chest"
To prove that in the sleeping state the
several senses and organs often success
siveIy become dormant, and in a very un
usual degree, it has been alleged that
slight heat applied to the soIes of the feet
will excite dreams of burning Goals, vol
canoes, etc.
A person who had blister applied to
his head dreamed of scaIpipg by the Indi7
ans. Dr.. Smeliie gives several facts with
regard to persons in whom dreams would
be excited by whispering in their ears
Dr.. Beattie adds similar testimony.
The stomach has considerable influence
in producing dreams. Persons who have
been deprived Of their usual food general
ly dream of eating. Baron Trenck, when
confined in his dungeon, and almost dead
with hunger, every night in his dreams,
bles of Berlin. The dreams of persons
r who have been nearly starved to death,
are described as being peculiarly brilliant
and delightful. Byron, when in Italy
with some of the authors of the liberal
school, used to abstain from food for some
days, with view to produce the same eff
feet on their imaginations. Opium and
other soporilics produce dreams; and it
! has been observed that the sanguine more
frequently dream. than the phlegmatic-
/ and that the nature of the dreams parlake
i of the temperament OF the dreamer.
The dreams of those born blind are We
; ry curious; and they have much difficulty
i'll describing the sensations they expert
ence during sleep. Dr.. Blackjack de-
scribes ii thus :-"When awake, he could
distinguish persons in three ways viz by
hearing them speak, by feeling their heads
and shoulders, or by attending, without
the aid of speech, TO the sound and man
ner Of their breathing. But in sleep the
objects which presented themselves were
more vivid, and without the Intervention
of any Of the three modes" .. j.. ...
And not only are dreams affected by
the state of the body, but it is certain that
the action of mind, when asleep, may have
: q very considerable and permanent effect
upon the body. Thus. in 1748. Archdea.
con Squire read before the Royal Society
; an account Of the case Of Henry AFFORD
of Devices, in Wiltshire, who, at twenty
eight years of age, through a violent cold
: became speechless, and continued dumb
t for four years, until July, l741, when, be.
, ing asleep, he dreamed that che was fall.
t en- into furnace of boiling WORT" this
5 put him into so great an agony of fright
: that he actually did call out aloud, and
l recovered the use Of MS tongue from thai
t moment as efectually as ever. s.u a. .,
t But it is not so much in reference to the
, causes and general nature of dreams, a:
S to their supposed power of divination, tha
: few words are devoted to them in. The
r present pages. ''We know pretty we'll
|. now," says Horace WaIpoIe, "Lhat dream.
e that used to pass for predictions, are i'm
t perfect ctrecollections." re Be this as it may
: the oneirocritics, when baffied in their at
e tempts to establish any simiIUude betweel
q the "auguries" Of sleep and subsequen
e or preceding facts. turn about and vindi
p cate the prophetic character Of dreams b,
n dissinsillude and contrariety. Thus, the,
s are certain to be right, one way or tn
r other.
e That many remarkable and welI-altest
4 I'd dreams have heeo reconcileable to al
d ter events is beyond question-night vi
sions and night PromPtings which couI
!, not be explained by any theory of connec
/ tion OF ideas, or ''imperfect recollections,
n or revival of associations, utterly forgot