The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-01-20
Remarkable SOmnambuliSm

| Medical Journal, was furnished by DR..
| A. Allen, formerly professor in the Med
ical Department Of the Michigan Univers
ity. The event narrated occurred Will,
he WAS employed in the University, anC
furnishes one of the most remarkabl,
cases on record
1t was my fortune, during series o
years, to have under direct observation {
case of sOmnambulism, in some respect:
more remarkable than any upon record
The subject was family relative and pri
vate medical student of my own.
The first time he was ever known tc
walk in his sleep was in the spring of 1S47
and the first attempt was an unfortunate
one, as he fell from stairway unprotected
by balusters, lnjuring himself considera
bly,, although fracturing no bones. He
had risen and dressed himself, but when
awakened by his fall was utterly ignorant
of his whereabouts. / saw him few mo-
ments afterward and found nothing un-
usual about him, but he remarked that he
had not felt quite we'll when he went to
bed. For some months subsequently he
would now and then get up, dress himself
and go about the house without any ap-
parent object, and, usually, after awhile
return to his bed voluntarily, awakening
in the morning with not the slightest rec
objection even of dream.
My young friend was an enthusiast in
music, and very respectable amateur.
About the summer of 1S47, somewhat
dilapidated lbass-viol, which was a kind
of heirloom in the family, was brought
into the house, and he devOted spare mo-
ments to learning how to play upon it.
Unfortunately, the antiquity of the in
strument had told upon its keys, and un-
less they were wetted at each time of use
it would not remain in tune. He was de-
termined, however, to command its notes,
and succeeded. His somnambulic walks,
thereafter, led him from his chamber to
the parlor, and to the bass-viOl, and the
family would be awakened in the small
hours by the inevitable tuning-up pre-
lude, mingled with slipping of the old
keys, and quiet Objurgations on his part.
Sometimes the bridge would fall down
when the keys slipped, and sometimes
string would snap or escape
from the keys; nevertheless he would
persevere, repair damages, tune up, and
then execute all varieties of music of
which the machine was capable, not un-
frequently accompanying it with his voice
All this would be done in total darkness.
When any one entered the room with a
light, he took not the least notice, although
when spoken to he would reply in mono
syllables or with considerable asperity.
His face was unusually flushed, although
sometimes pale-the features immObile
and passive, the eye open, pupil dilated /;
the surface glazed, and the lids apparently
motionless; the extremities warm and
the pulse full, frequent and soft. Very
often the skin would be bathed with free
perspiration. Remarkably sensitive to
titillatiOns when awake, there seemed a
total absence of reflex movements from
this cause, while in the somnambulistic
state.
AS he exteneed his acquaintance with
music and musical instruments, his feats
became wonderful While in attendance
upon the Medical College at Laporte, the
household looked forward with high an
ticipations to the hours when his skillful
touch of the melodeOn would wake them
He had voice of the purest tone and very
considerable compass, in fact, of rare
sweetness. am enabled to say from a
multitude of observations that he played
with a precision and skill while asleep
that he could not approximate while
awake. Besides this, he would execute
music which he had heard, perhaps but
once, the evening previous or after long
interval--nO note of which he could recall
in his waking moments. His memory
here seemed wonderfully exalted. If in
terrupted, he was irritable in the extreme,
but would go on with his music exactly
from the point of interruption.
Whilst attending lectures at Ann Arbor,
where was then lecturing on physiology,
| requested his assistance in enlarging
some of the drawings illustrative of mi
mute anatomy and histology, for use in class
demonstrations. He entered into the
work with great zeal, and proved very ex-
pert and rapid of execution. One evening
previous to the day on which was about
to lecture on the kidney, l wished the cuts
in Carpenters Physiology" illustrating
the tubular arrangement, etc, made ready
He had an engagement for the evening
out said he would try and prepare them in
the morning. During the night he rose
dressed himself, played few tunes on the
guitar, part of the time singing land, by
the way, the guitar was about as dilapi
dated as the bass-viol before noticed, anC
he had to knot one or two of the strings
hrst), and then arranged the drawing pa
per, prepared his India ink and brushes
TOOK the parallels and pencils and laid OF
the spaces, and worked for half an houl
or more, rapidly and perfectly, nearly
completing the figures on PIP. 500 and so
OF Carpenters Principles, in the edition
OF 1903. His were taken from previous
edition not now in my possession. Thes.
drawings are now in the series used fo
Illustration in Rush Medical College. AL
though we had light in the room Will,
watching him, he went on with his wOrl
entirely regardless of it. Before com
pleting the work, he went to bed and slep
until the usual hour in the morning
When at the breakfast he asked if h,
had been up in the night, as he haC
dreamed that he had This was the only
time he ever remembered even dreaming
about being up or occupied In anything
lie had by this time become so fully awar,
of his habits, that nothing of the sort as
tonished him. Shortly after this he wen
to spend the night with a fellow student
but little after midnight he rose, dressed
himself, and went out, followed by th
other gentleman, walked down to the Elk
change Hotel, where there were numbe
of his acquaintances and others waitin,
Tor train of cars due at that time. Som
one rallied him on his being out so late
but, being cautioned by his companion
they did not attempt to awake him, bu
watched his movements On being in
| vited, he took a glass of ale, and then sal
he would only have time to go home an
get his dinner before the afternoon lectur
hour. He walked with his friend to on
door, and was indignant to find 1t lockeC
His roommate "a cousin) admitted hin
and awakened myself and wife. He aske
II dinner was ready, and seemed astor
1shed that it was not; then said he woul
get "a drink of water and be off, "for ol
ID. Zone of the faculty. would be mad
he was late" told him he had plenty
time, and he need not be in hurry. II
then walked into the kitchen, drank
tumblerful of water, and, looking up
the clock, although it was totally dark, r
marked the time and started for the frol
door. l then told him that was not fec
| ing well, was Dretty blue and wished |