Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-03-02
SOMnAMBULISM.
THEORIES DEVISED TO EXPLAIN
SLEEP WALKING PHENOMENA.
lGlobe- DemOcrat.l |


governing idea which has been
awakened by whatever set the
centers for movements in opera
ton. Sleep walkers differ marked.
ly among themselves as to the effect
upon them of these TWO sets Of con.
ditiOns. Some can be Influenced
IN any desired direction by sugges.
tiOns conveyed by words, move
ments or sensations communicated
by impressions made upon the
sense Of touch. Others disregard
such impressions-the avenues Of
which seem to be closed-and are
governed exclusively by some fixed
idea. The previous knowledge Of
somnambulists as to localities has
much to do with the remarkable
feats they are known to have per
formed. In strange locality the
walking on the ridge pole Of a
house or along the brink of a preci-
pice is not, by any means, as safe
as some have believed. The Oc-
currence, within the past year, of
several fatal accidents to such
sleepers proves that they have no
magical power OF finding safety
where others encounter danger
This id ca Of the marvellous safety
of sleep walkers must be abandon
cd. If this is thoroughly under
stood it is likely that better care
will be taken to guard the safety
Of those known to be subjects Of
what must be considered disease.
Although the actions of the
sleep walker seem to be to some
degree at least under the control
of the will, it is very apparent
from the foregoing considerations
that they are to be considered as
almost entirely automatic. In
ordinary dreams the will is without
power to control even the lmagl'
nary acts of the dreamer. In
somnambuIism th ere are real mus
cular actions added to the ordinary
dream. Hence it is that thefts or
other unlawful acts may result from
the abnormal condition, and the
sleep walker should not be held
morally or eriminally responsible
for such occurances. No one should
be held responsible for an act OF
the Imagination, homicide dream
ed to have been perpetrated for ex-
ample. The real action of the
somnambulist is of the same nature,
so far as responsibility is concerned,
as the peculiar freaks of the lmagl-
nation which take place in an ordi'
nary dream.
DIFFERENT CONDITIONS.
Some authors, especially those
of an early date, have evidently
classed together as cases of som.
nambulism a number Of distinctly
different conditions. Some in.
stances of masked epilepsy, for in
stance, have been thus improperly
classified. The so called "dOuble
consciousness IS of this variety
"This consists in the individual
recOllecting during the paroxysms
circumsta noes which occurred in a
/
former attack, though there was
no remembrance of them during
the lnterval.D A number of such
cases have been placed on record,
and their close relationship to epi-
lepsy is now beyond question. In
true somnambulism there is no
recollection of what has taken
place during an attack, either in
the walking condition or in subse-
quent attacks.
In the so called "mesmeric Sleep
or hypnotism, the condition OF the
brain is doubtless very similar to
that which is present in natural
somnambulism. The intellectual
departments seem, however, to be
in a condition more nearly ap.
preaching that present when the
whole brain is awake. 1t is i'm
possible to state what the real con
dItion of the brain is IN somnam'
bulism. 1t is most likely that there
is some kind of disturbance in the
amount of blood sent to different
parts of the organ of mind.
To explain the mesmeric pine
nomena it has been thought that
some one or several parts of the
brain are thrown ont of their ordi
nary relations with other parts by
the "passesp and other manipu'
lations Of the mesmerlzer. lt ~
perhaps, by gradually bnt very
completely exhausting the irri
liability of some parts that this II
brought about. Then, it is sup
posed, those parts first affected
exert an inhlbitlng influence Oyel
other parts, until only a.small part
of the nervous centers Is capable
of responding to any kind of al
impression. Hence it has beer
possible tor complete anasthesia t,
be produced in this gay-so tina
limbs have been amputated anC