The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-05-26
SLEEP-NALKING.

No phenomenon IN the human ecOnO-
my is calculated to excite so much sur
prise as that called somnambulism, or
in condition intermediate betwixt sleep
and wakefulness. In perfect sleep, all
the organs or faculties composing the
mind, together with the external senses
and the powers of voluntary motion, are
in state of rest or torpor.
Dreaming is slight approach to
wakefulness, seeing that some OF the
cerebral organs are then i'll a state of ac-
tivity, while others are quiescent. In
dreaming, the external senses may or
may not be in state of activity. Some
people, for example, can be led to dream
of particular subjects by the talk of
others placed near them when sleeping (;
while other dreamers are totally insensi-
BILE to all sounds emitted within the
range of their organs of hearing. In
ordinary dreaming, too, the powers of
voluntary motion are often exercised to
q slight extent. A dreamer, under the
impression that he is engaged i'll an ac-
tive battle, will frequently give bed
fellow smart belaboring. Often, also,
in cases of common dreaming, the mus
cles on which the production of the
voice depends are set in action, through
the instrumentahty of that portion of
the brain which is not in q quiescent
state, and the dreamer mutters, or talks,
or cries aloud.
All these partial demonstrations of
activity in the external senses, and in
the powers of voluntary motion, form
an approach to that remarkable state
termed somnambulism, in which all or
nearly all of the senses, and of the mus
cles of the body, are frequently in per-
feet activity, the torpor of part of the
cerebral organs being the only feature
rendering the condition different from
that of waking life. The degrees in
which the preceding characteristics are
observable in somnambulism vary, as is
natural, in different cases, and the cause
of this, as well as of the condition itself,
are well and forcibly explained by Mr..
Macnish, in his "Anatomy of Sleep"
eff we dream that we are walking, and
the vision possesses such a degree of
vividness and exciting energy as to
arouse the muscles of locomotion, we
naturally get up and walk. Should we
dream that we hear or see, and the i'm
preston be SO vivid as to stimulate the
eyes and ears, or, more properly speak
ing, those parts of the brain which take
cognizance of sights and sounds, then
we both see any objects, or hear any
sounds.which may occur, justasif we were
awake. In some cases, the muscles only
are excited, and then we simply walk,
without hearing or seeing"
In other cases, for the reasons given,
we both walk and see, and in third
variety, we at once walk, see and hear.
In the same way, the vocal organs alone
may be stimulated, and person may
merely be a sleep-talker or, under q
conjunction of impulses, he may talk,
walk, see and hear.
These brief explanations may aid in
preventing the reader from being puzzled
by the philosophy of this curious condi-
ton of the bodily system, or from being
disposed to discredit the cases related.
The simplest and perhaps least surpris-
ing cases are those in which the loco
motive powers alone of the body are set
in action by the vividness Of dreaming
impulse.
The person rises, strikes his head or
body against something, and awakes. A
leap from bed is also comparatively
common and slight species of somnam-
bulism. In the belief of being compelled
to cross ditch by the pursuit of a bull,
a gentleman bounded some time since
from bed, and at one spring found him
self placed upon q dressing-table which
stood short way from the foot of the
bed. A few inches further, and he
would have passed through, or at least
struck window. In February, 1868, a
gentleman of Baltimore actually walked
out of the window in his sleep, falling
heavily to the ground, but fortunately
escaped with only sprained ankle. But
such cases have little interest in compar-
ison with those in which the somnambu-
lism is not momentary, but of continued
duration.
The following case is related by Smell
lie. in his Philosophy of Natural His
tory: "Nearly thirty years ago had
an opportunity of examining a striking
example of somnambulism. Within a
mile of Edinburgh ] happened to reside