Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-06-27
THE PHENOMENA OF SLEEP.

OU, UiluS utoCOulSt5 VI t7tCCHt 1900 l
a physicians point ofview:
allow is sleep induced. and
what is the condition of the brain
during this period of reas which
occupies nearly one-.nird Of our
lives?" are questions not merely
of curiosity 5ut of real practical
use. Elmer thenervous mass as a
Whole is quiescent, undistributed
Jy currents of nervous energy, or
currents are still kept up but at an
even, unaltering pace. The lat
ter conclusion seems the most
plausible, and is more distinctly
borne out by facts. The nervous
system is seldom allowed to fall
into entire somnolence, but how
ever profound the slumber, the
mind still seems to retain waking
impressions, and is to a certain ex
tent under their influence even
in sleep. A person even very much
fatigued, who has previously ac-
customed himself to that self disci-
pine, will fall into deep and
sound slumber, and yet wake up
promptly at time specified in his
waking moments, n0tWithstand-
ing he might have slumbered for
hours had it not been for this act
of the will. A gentleman, who in
the prosecution of his business is
obliged TO travel constantly, talk
ing the train at all hours, and
catching his sleep when and where
he can get it, informs me he new
CIR has any trouble however much
fatigued he may be, in waking at
any specified time. Even with
out this strong exercise of the will
power, the brain, however pro-
foundly quiescent, is keeniy alive
to certain sounds, however oblivi-
Gus it may be to others. The phys
ician hears the first tap of his
nightbell though he might sleep
on undisturbed while a band of
music was playing in front of his
windows, or the roar of the thun-
der or the crash OF artillery was
making the windows rattle ard
the bed tremhle beneath him.
The mother starts from her deep
slumber at the first cry of her
child, her ear quickly catching,
however profound may be her
sleep, almost its altered breathing.
1t is said young man, a midship
man, wishing to commend him.
self to he commander, spent eigh-
teen hours out of the twenty-four
in watching and recording the sig
nails, only retiring to rest when ut
terly exhausted. Then his slum-
Der was so profound that the loud
est noise would produce no impress
sion, but simply whisper in his
ear the word signal and in an
instant be was on his feet, wide
awake and ready for duty. We
are all familiar with kind of
walking sleep, in which aperfect
stiffness or some monotonous
sound lulls us into a kind of semi
unconsciousness. Any disturbing
element may rouse up the currents
of nerve force into full activity,
but without them consciousness
gradually disappears, according as
the nerve currents are UNMARRIED in
their degree, until sleep more
or less profound is produced.
Facts such as we have stated
are in favor ola certain low degree
of nerve action as existing under
every variety of state, from the
light sleep to the most profound.
On this hypothesis, when all the
currents of the brain are equally
balanced and continue at the same
pitch, when no one is commencing
increasing, or abating, conscious
ness or feeling is null and mind is
quiescent. A disturbance of this
state of things wakens up the con
seriousness for a time; the slim
ula in the waking state forbidding
this perfect equilibrium from being
attained X
"Sleep is positive necessity. 1t
is a period of recuperation, during
which there is a restoration of
what has suffered collapse, waste
or disturbance turing the period of
waking activity, The tired brain
and the aching muscles regain, by
rest, strength and the power to
obey the mandates ofthe will. The
demands of 4he material form for
rest are so great as often to defy
the action of the mind. During
the cholera summer of 1919, while
practicing in the country, so con
Slant and fatiguing were my pro-
fessional labors, that | have often
ridden miles ON horseback sound
asleep. Almost every physician
in active practice during periods of
epidemics, when his strength was
taxed to the uttermost, has slept
many times, while walking along
the street During the battle Of
the Nile many Of the boys engaged
in handling ammunition fell asleep
awen whila the -nor ~ 10 MINI