Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-04-27
.So~ae Interesting Facts and Theories
for Dreamers.

lures On :. sleep and Dreaming MS VIC
Iivered az the London Institute on Mond.y
aftrnoan. before crowded audi
erce and was devoted To the latter sub
i1rpt wifi The exception OF bries resume
az his trFncr lecture on sleep by way VI
Introduction. Sleep, he had shown, was
the repose Of tie brain a. The organ OF
consciousness, and sound sleep the cessa-
son Of conscious activity. He set aside
as lpsound the doctrine Of Sir w. Hamil-
ION. who from the phenomena Of dream
ing lad argued the continuousness OF
consciousness during sleep. The brain,
though a unity. was complex unity, and
IN different parts different functions be-
Ionged Hence, according 10 The analogy
of the bodily functions, one part and lis
function may rest while others arc IN &C
ton. The partial activity Of the Dram
was the explanation Of dreaming. Con
scious activity belongs TO the hemisphercs
proper Of the brain. The parts below, In
30 far as they are independent are con
cerued In actions described as reflex, sensi-
motor. etc. and these can go on as well
during sleep as in waking hours. Dia-
grams of the brain were referred to In
illustration. The brain was the organ oi
consciousness, aud IL thcTefore-not the
panqIiops Of the nervous system, as held
by p. Carpenter and ofbers--@as the
organ Of sensation. The phenomena of
Heini. angsthesia were cited in proof. For
each class OF Impressions there were
special regions Of consciousness IN the
brain. The lecturer was even disposed
To localize attention and the higher intel.
Iectual faculties. The impressions re-
ceived were photographed on the brain,
and were capable Of being revived. But
for this power Of recalling them no
knowledge would DC possible. Memory,
or tie registration Of sense Impres'
sious. IL the ultimate basis Of our
mental furniture Zach piece OF that
furniture has It's function, like The
letters IN compositor's case. We lave
a sighLmemory, an ear-memory, etc.
When thinking, or engaged ~ ldsatlon,
We are but recalling, as shown by Her.
bert Spencer and Balm, our original SEN
salions aud acts Of cognitiOn. Some
move their lips when thinking, as though
summoning up the names for their for,
rucr sensations Commonly the repro
duction Was very faint; but in some in.
stances il was nearly or quite as VIVID
40 the former sensation II was so with
Goethe and other poets, with painters, re-
Iigious enthusiasts, and with those called
spiritualists. Ii was 50 in delirium and
mania, and there was always something
morbid In such cases. The auditory
pbantoms OF musical composers, ana
others were spoken Of. The impressions
-snsxie on taste aud smell were not often
80 wildly reproduced, but IL WA other.
wise viii those Of touch The relation
between yisceric euphoria or disphoria
was next illustrated, and the laws of as
sociation OF ideas, as laid down BY Lay
cock and confirmed by Dr. Carpenter.
The nature Of this association will vary
as individuals; but IL the man be known
as wei A. the general laws, Ii VIII DC pos
sible % read his thoughts. The forego-
ing principles were then applied To
dreaming in accordance with the laws
laid down those portions OF the brain
most continuous ia action would require
the longest rest Hence the centers Of al.
traction would sleep while the functions
allied 10 reflex actions would more easily
awaken. The brain In sleep was compared
10 a calm pool In which stone causes rip
piles liable TO interruption by other ripples
similarly caused. 30 the npples OF idea.
ton get cont ised But, again, the circle
on tie pool may not be interrupted, and
then the idcation will be regular The
current Of the ideation may be coherent
or incobcrent. The most vivid associa.
lion, which II commonly the latest, domi.
mates over tie rest. DR.. Reid, the meta.
physician, dreamt Of being scalped by an
Indian There was a blister upon his
head. DIR. Gregory, through having q
Lhot.wahsr bottle at his feet, dTcamt Oh
walking up the cyatcrof Etna. Atrouble
some corn makes man dream Of ser
penis biting his foot, and ringing In tho
cars has caused dreams Of marriage bells
The blue devils and other horrors seen by
the victims Of delirium tremens were
analogously explained. Yiscefal condi
lions were shown 10 be most frequent
sources OF dreams. The hungry dream o
fcasts, tlicsthir6ty Of wafer, and the drop
steal OF drowning. From the condition
of the digestive organs asose nightmare
Mental or bodily detection =. ows itself In
oppression Of the chest, ant this, Uie'
versa, causes mental or bodily depression
by the law OF association. We feel ,
bideous animal sitting ON US. The op
preston leads 10 an effort OF liberation
and We wake from nightmare with 4
scream. Bereavement makes US dream
of our lost ones, and we see them so WV
Idly that our dreams become real appafi
lions Incohelcnt dreaming, In which
the currents OF idcation get jumbleG
together was happily compared IL
she changes producod by the shak
ca Kaleidoscope. Ii was remarked tha
there IL never anything absolutely new II
our dreams; We never dream Of anything
OF which our Senses are wholly ignorant
The blind do not dream that they see
ln0r the deaf of music. Here n letter IL
missing from the font Of type Our fancy
in dreams Is awake, and the faculties
(which should check II are asleep. Hence
we are wont 10 say that nothing surprises
MS in sleep. The lecturer proceeded Il
shed light on such facts as that problems
have been solved by mathematicians In
their dreams which had utterly bafied
them when awake. So the poet Campbell
excogitated In his sleep the celebrated
sentence, For coming events cast theil
shadows before" One beautiful illustra
,don the lecturer used. The brain, h,
said, might become palimpsest, the ef
faced writing on which often reappcared
Past impressions were imperfecily rubbed
oit, and the present written over IL but
past memories would revisit us In ouI
dreams, II not In our waking hours. Oi
the tenacity OF memory, marvellous IL.
Iustration was cited from Trevelyan's
'Life OF Macauley," who picked up
xyhiIe whiting In n Cambridge coffee