, 1877-09-21


every instance, whether the sleepers were
ailing or well, they dreamed of having
some startling adventure, and awoke
with start; and no dream ever lasted
over minute. One sleeper was run over
Ivy horse; another fell from cliff; an.
other was crushed by machinery; aud each
dream seemed 80 real that the man some
times felt of his limbs to be certain that
they were not broken.
was lying on my side one evening
not long ago, on lounge facing the
clock. There was no one else in the room,
and no noise outside to disturb me. |
saw that it was eight o'clock, and was
then overcome by sleep. / dreamed OF
walking along country highway.
passed several farmhouses, rested for
some time at the foot of hill, held a
long conversation with farmer, and thea
walked past three mile posts. Coming
to an inn, and it being near night, went
in to engage lodgings. There was an
ugly-looking man in the bar room, and as
l entered he called out:
~ sayl did you kill hint"
Igot up to go out, aud nc followed and
struck me on the head, which caused me
to awake. had slept just three minutes,
and the sound which aroused me was the
rumble of an omnibus going by. Iverily
believe that my dream, while it seemed
to cover period of three or four hours
did not really occupy more time than
taken by the omnibus to drive past-per.
haps thirty or forty seconds. Many per-
sons have been distressed in mind be-
cause dreaming of u bad accident, when
the dream is simply the result of some
harsh or disagreeable sound being con-
veyed to the ear of the sleeper.
More than one romancer has had his
hero or heroine waken from sleep just in
time to escape assassination, being warned
in their dreams that the "heavy villain" Of
the story was stealing upon them. 1t is
also generally believed by believers in
dreams that presentiments of danger are
whispered to sleepers who have friends on
the other side of the mystic river. To
test this theory stole upon a sleeping
patient, armed with knife, and looking
as fierce as anybody's "heavy villain"
could be made to look, / skulked up to
him, fourished the knife around his head
and before his closed eyes until my arm
ached, and neither was his sleep broken
nor did he have dream. The same ex-
pertinent was tried with half a dozen
others, and yet not one sleeper was in
fluenced in the least.
That position has much to do with in
ducing bad dreams is admitted. One of the
cases experimental upon was that of we'll
man who was very sound sleeper. One
could lift his arms, raise foot, place
weight on his breast, and even turn him
partly over as he slept, and he would not
be aroused. 1t was seldom that he
dreamed, but we found two or three ways
to make him. When he lifted his arms
up over his head he had bad dreams,
generally of suffering personal injury.
The same result was produced by placing
weight on his feet, or by taking the
pillow from under his head, or by making
any great change in the position assumed
when sleep came. In any case where we
could raise the arms we could bring bad
dreams. Probably two sleepers out of
five, especially during warm weather,
sleep with their arms raised above the
head, and this accounts for many of the
dream stories.
believe that 1t is a popular error to
suppose that the sleeper who rests on his
back will have bad dreams. Out of
eighteen patients In my ward at the hos
pital, all well enough to assume any po-
sition, six rested on their backs to sleep,
and their dreams were as cheerful as the
dreams of those resting otherwise. In
deed, can name two children who, if
not permitted to lie on their backs while
sleeping, will at once be aroused by bad
dreams. In preparing for sleep one as
sumes the most comfortable position pos
sible, aud while that position may be the
right side for some, the left for Others,
there are yet others who will rest on their
backs.
Perhaps every reader holds the idea that
dreams are induced by the events of the
day, but the supposition is not altogether
correct. If one has met with loss,
heard exciting news, or met with an ad-
venture during the day, he may dream OF
it at night, but it does not follow as q
rule Selecting six of the patients with
out limiting my real object to them, gave
them each a charge. One was to receive
a reward for guessing conundrum; an
other was to come to me for money at a
certain hour aud moment next day; an
other was to remember to tell nurse
something at particular moment; and
each charge was something to excite the
mind and keep the patient fearful that he
would neglect his errand. And yet not
one of the persons dreamed of what l had
said to him / have experimental with
children and old people, and in most in.
stances the rule, ofHhe theory, has failed
to work.
Where one hears of case of somnam-
bulism or sleep-walkinR, he generally
hears that the person had something
uveiohtv or anociaI on his or her mind be-