Huntsville gazette., 1881-09-17
SOmnambulism.

san@T The -phenomena of sOmnambulism
arise from the fact that the faculties are
unequauy suspended during sleep, SO
that one set 6f organs may be active
while the others are dormant. 1t is fre-
quently accompanied by dreams, which
arise out of a similar condition OF the
nervous functions. Several incidents,
illustrating the manner in which the
partial suspension, partial activity of
the faculties affect the somnambulist,
are related in an English magazine. A
boy, on his way to the seaside, had
travelled by steamer, railway and coach,
from six O'Clock in the evening till four
O'Clock on the next afternoon, without
cessation and with hardly any sleep.
( Shortly after going to bed, his compan-
ion was awakened by a crash of glass,
followed by hysterical cries, and, on
looking for the boy, found that he had
got up, broken the window and gone.
He was found in the road, wounded in
the feet. 1t appeared from his story
that, when half asleep, he thought
he saw mad bull rushing at
him.. Catching hold of the curtain,
which he thought was tree, he swung
himself over the hedge by which the
tree grew-the window, open from the
top-then jumped and ran away, break
ing the window with his heel, and cut
ting his feet on the sharp stones. In
this case the impression left on the mind
of the sleep-walker was so strong as to
enable him to tell all that he thought
and imagined during the dream. In
the next incident no trace OF remen-
brance survived. A servant-girl came
down at four o'clock in the morning,
and asked her mistress for some cotton
to mend her dress, which she had torn.
Whiless she was looking in her work-box
some one offered her an empty spool,
but she refused it, and taking up her
gown pointed to two holes which she
said she wanted to mend. A needle was
threaded for her with black cotton, but
she rejected it, saying she wanted brown
-cottona Some one spoke, and she said
1t was her mistress; but it was not.
Her vision was thus shown to be keen,
but her hearing dull. She was wakened
with considerable difficulty, and, seeing
the cotton-box disturbed, asked why it
had been meddled with. Several ques-
tions were asked her during the follow
ing day, to test her recollection but she
could not recall her sleep-walking, or
anything that had taken place during
the night A miner near Redruth arose
one light, walked TO the engine-shaft of
the mine, and safely descended to the
depth of twenty fathoms, where he was
found soon afterward sound asleep. He
could not be wakened by calling to him,
and had to be shaken. When awake,
he could not account for the situation
in which he found himself. Morrison,
in his 'sMedicine no Mystery" tells of a
clergyman who used to get up at night,
light his candle, write sermons, correct
them with interlineations, and 60 to
bed again, while he was all the time fast
asleep. A similar story is told of an
English dissenting preacher, who had
been perplexed during the week about
the treatment of the subject of his Sum-
days sermon, and mentioned his per-
plexity to his wife on Saturday night.
During the night he got up and
preached a good sermon on the subject
In the hearing of his wife. In the morn
ING his wife suggested method of treat
ing the subject, based upon his sleep
work of the night before, with which he
was much pleased; and he preached
the sermon with no knowledge Of its
real origin. The Lancet has story of
butchers boy who went to the stable
in his sleep to saddle his horse and go
his rounds. Not finding the saddle in
its usual, place, he went to the house
and asked for it, and, failing to get it,
he started off without it. He was taken
from the horse and carried into the
house. A doctor came, and while he
was present the boy, considering him
self stopped at the turnpike-gate, Of
fered sixpence for the toll, and this be-
ing given back to him he refused it, and
demanded his change. A part of the
change was given him, and he demand
ed the proper amount. When awake,
afterward, he had no recollection of
what had passed. TO prevent sleep
walking it is necessary to remove what
ever is the occasion of it, if it arises
from any definable disorder. Often,
however, it can not be referred to any
complaint; then the best that can be
done will be to take precautions against
the somnambulist running into any dan
Popular Science Monthly.