The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1871-06-15

ABOUT SLEEP.

The Immediate anrecsienss Of sleeps
languor. sensafion Of weight In the upper
eyxlids. partial temporary relaxation of Ger
tain muscles. Is shown BY the nedding a0d
dropping Of tie head upon the breast, compar-
alive obsuseness Of external impressions, yawn-
ing etc, call for No veTy special remark The
order IN which the musel-s lose their power Is,
however, deserving Of passing notice The
muscles which move the arms and legs usually
become relaxed before those which maintain
the body Ia an erect position. There are,
however. many exceptions u this rule, Is
NAV DC seen, in church Oh ! hot Sunday. when
some Of the congregation are almosr certain 10
DC seen with their ehlnS quietly resting OF their
chests, bat yet tightly grasping their prayer
books Moreover, in relation 10 the special
senses that Of sight Is first losr, the closing of
tue evellds setting up barrier between the
retina aud the external world: but, indepead-
rntly of the eyelids-it they have been removed
By the sargroa, or cannot Dc closed by disease
the sight is still the first sense whose fune-
ton is abolished. Some animals. as the hare,
do not shut their eyes when asleep: and in
cases of somnambalism, the eyes remain open,
although the sense OF sight is temporarily lost.
The ether senses, Is Dr. Hammond tells us,
are not altogether abolished; but their acute
mess Is much leSSened. Taste Is the first Ia
disappear. and then smell. hearing fellows. and
touch is the most persistent of the senses. So,
conversely, . peFson is most easily awakened
by touch. next in order by sound. and then by
smell, Sleep is much modified by habit, Thus
an old artl.ler1man often enjoys tranquil repose
while the cannon are laundering around; an
engineer has been known 10 fall asleep within
boller. while his fellows were beating it on
the outside with their ponderoas hammers;
aud the rrpose ot Il mileri nowise Incommoded
By the noise of his mill. Sound ceases 10 be
stimulus 10 such men. and what would have
proved an inexpres<ible annoyance 10 others.
IS By them altogether unheeded. Ii - common
for carriers 10 sleep on horseback. aud coach
men on their coaches. During the battle of
the Nile. some boys tell asleep on the deck
amid the deaienIng thunder ot that dreadful
engagement. Nay, siesce itself may become
u stimulus while sound ceases Ia be Sa.
Thus, miller being very i'll, his mill was stop
ped that he might not be disturbed by itS noise;
but this. SD tar FROM inducing sleep, prevented
il altogether; and it did not take place until
the mill was set agolng. For the same
reason. the manager Of some vast iron works,
who slept close to them, amid the incessant
din oi hammers, torges aud furnaces, would
awake il there VAS any Cessation Of the noise
during the night To carry the illustration
still further, il has been noticed that person
who falls asleep aear a church. the bell of which
was ringing, may not hear the sound during
his whole slumber aud be nevertheless aroused
by It's sudden cessation. Here sleep must have
been imperfect, otherwise he would have been
sensible Ia the sound. The noise OF the bell
was not stimulus; il was lis cessation which
by breaking the monotony, became 81, and
the sleeper 10 awake.