The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-11-20
SLEEP-WALKING.
An English Physicians Experience
From Chamberss Journal

are unconscious of ordinary impressions
but Yet retain sensations, there is, we al
admit, no doubt. One curious instance
occurred in a schoolgirl, who was OBJ
served 10 rise every night about mid
night and walk about her bedroom anC
the lobby outside her sleeping apart
ment After some time, on returning
to her bed, she was in the habit of eX
aiming II and all about il, and finally
selecting for some hours rest a clothes
basket which the housemaid kept on The
fiat roof of the cradle-bed in which she
Law. After carefully examining the
clothes-b basket, she climbed up on the
head Of the cradle-bed, and, circling hel
body as cat would above the clothes
in the basket, she composed herself to
sleep, in which she remained for an
hour or more, then rose and returned to
her bed. In the morning she awoke al
her usual time, having no consciousness
of what had occurred during the night.
Her sister watched her proceedings, but
never interrupted or awakened her, and
after some time the nocturnal climbings
ceased ..-
The second case that came under my
observation was more varied and more
embarrassing, A young lady at school
became somnambuIist. She rose from
bed and walked in her sleep. The la
dies who conducted the school became
alarmed, partly on the girls account,
and partly for the character of the
school, rs it might injure their estab-
hshment were it known that the young
ladies practiced the habit of walking
about the lawn in their night-dresses in
the moonlight. They had an impression
that if the girl was suddenly awakened,
death or immediate deprivation of sense
might be the result; and this led to the
attendance of two maid-servants who
were strictly enjoined TO follow the foot
steps Of the somnambulist, to watch that
no mishap should occur to her, and to
have all doors opened and the way kept
clear for the return of the sleeping pc
destrian. 80.
This continued for some time. But at
length the somnambulist's fancy took a
more adventurous turn. Skaters had
come to work on the roof of the house,
and the sleeping peripatetic evinced a
desire to star-gaze. Accordingly, on
the next night she turned to the slater'S
ladder, and to the horror of her attend
ants, assembled it, mounted to the roof,
and walked along the gutter, with a
sloping roof on one side and low para
pet wall on the other. The attendants
now became almost frightened out of
their wits, and knew not what to do or
think They feared to call out, for re-
turn TO consciousness in such place
would almost inevitably lead to her
stumbling on the roof or falling over the
parapet. Their terror was, however,
not YET at its height. The somnambu-
list came to a slight obstruction in the
gutter; she paused for a moment, and
then, without hesitation, stepped upon
the parapet and continued her walk on
the narrow stone coping.
A single slip, false step, would have
precipitated her from height of 80 or
40 feet: vet to awaken her would al
most certainly have led to the same ca
tastrophe. The sleeping girl continued
her walk to the end of the coping, and
then, turning round, resumed her walk
to the dOrmer window, descended the
ladder, reached her bedroom in safety,
and laid down in her bed, awaking in
the morning quite unconscious of her
midnight danger and her narrow es-
cape
! WAS then a very young practitioner
in medicine, and was, up to this period,
although the medical student of the eS-
establishment for ordinary cases of i'll
ness, not consulted on this perplexing
case, as it was naturally desired to keep
1t concealed; but after the stroll on the
parapet wall, and the terror created by
it, ii was thought that, with the object
of preventing recurrence of the night
walk that might end in some ter
rible accident, the young lady should be
consigned to temporary residence in
private asylum, where there would be
always both a night and day watch.
| Twas taken into consultation next morn
ING, and earnestly discussed the gravity
of taking such a step. 1t would be inn
possible to keep it secret, and, even
were it possible, in her waking hours
she would look with horror on the COM
ing night, when she should be sent to
bed in a strait-waistcOat. In after
years, too, when perhaps she might
have a Young family around her, the
been an inmate of such an institution;
and the "Reminiscences would make her
miserable. / duly considered all this,
and suggested various eXpedients, such
as sedative sleeping -draughts, and net
work to be put round the bed at night.
All, however, had been tried in this in
stance, and all in vain.
then thought for a little, and hit up
on the following plan: / directed her
night-dreSS to be sewed up at the foot,
so that it formed large bag, and then |
had the sleeves heightened so much that
each sleeve, after going round the body,
reached the front, where it met the 9TH
er sleeve, and was securely fastened to
it. The whole dress was loose; but the
lone sleeves prevented the hands from
being used to get rid of the dress, while,
from the end being Sewed up, the feet
could not be used in progression. At
the same time the dress freely permit
ted the sleeper to roll about from side to
side in her slumber; and thus it differed
from the hideous Strait-waistcoat then
in vogue.
Night came, and our charge retired to
bed in her new-fangled night-dress, with
which she was amused. The usual hour
for the night-walk came. Her attend
ants were strictly enjOined not to stir.
She raised herself rs usual in the sitting
posture, then stood upright and com
menced to walk The second step was
a trip, for The foot behind held the bot
tom of the bag in which she stood. She
stumbled, fell forward, and awoke, and
was put back into bed, where she soon
fell asleep. Next morning there were no
bad consequences except that her face
~. --i.-Ltll- h1r,isnd Nv The fall ] re-