The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1888-08-08
THE THEoRY or SLEEP.
Professor Leo Errora Givos . Resume
or Some Points.

9N.. H u 6OIlU - OktANSs I4tE.
| In an address to tho Anthropologlcal
society of Brussels, Professor Leo
Errora has given @ resume OF some
points in tho chemical theory Of sleep.
| Tho phenomena Of sleop have in COM
mon with other vital functions the
character Of perlodiclty. An examina-
ton OF such periodic functions in gem
| eral may aid in ascertaining the cause
Of sleep. Tho respiratory, rhythm is
| regulated by the amount Of oxygen and
carbonic acid in the arterial blood.
When the blood is charged with oxy-
gen The respiratory center momentarily
suspends activity; but soon tho tissues
yield their oxygen to the blood, have it
replaced by carbonic acid, ana the
blood thus modified acts as an excitant
to the respiratory center. Ranke has
shown that tho fatigue and recovery Of
muscles is duo to q similar alienation
Of tho accumulation and discharge Of
certain ''fatiguing substances" chief
among which is Tactic acid. An injec-
tion Of this acid into fresh muscle rem
ders it incapable of work; washing the
acid out restores the activity.
Cannot sleep be explained by n SINH
lar chemical theory? preyer has OK
tended the views of BinZ, Obersteiner
and others {who all agree in making
the accumulation Of certain products Of
atigue-crmudungsstoffe-th cause Of
slcep) by calling all such fatiguing pro-
ducts OF activity "ponogens." These
accumulate in walking life, are readily
%oxidioablo, and absorb the oxygen in
tended for glands, muscles and nerve
centers until action is impossible and
sleep sets in. Gradually tho ponogens
aro destroyed by oxidation, slight excl
tation is sufficient to arouse tho cen
tors, and waking lifo begins. Among
the punogons Preyer counts lac tic acid
us The chief, but tho experimental de-
monstration of this has been unsuccess-
full, and tho theory, accordingly, not
generally adopted.
Since these researches Armand Gau-
tier has found in tho human body Il
series Of five organic bases akin to crea-
tine, creatinino and cXanthine, and
calls them ''leucomainos'' and ''ptonl-
aines." Tho physiological properties
Of these substances are narcotic, fatigu-
ing and sometimes lead 10 vomiting.
This is just what tho chemical theory
requires. The ~periodicity Of sloop
would be explained by the conservation
Of energy being applicable to all bodily
activity; work must be followed by 10.
pair; life is II slow suicide. There is,
moreover, reason to believe that the ac-
ton or these leucomaines is Il direct ono
upon the brain; it is q direct intoxica-
ton OF the brain centers.
a theory Of sleep must take account
of three factors-- work, fatigue and
sleep. The chemical theory satisfies
these demands. All work, muscular or
cerebral, produces waste products.
These accumulate, make work moro
and more dllicult; those is fatigue.
AS the process continues, the waste pro-
ducts, notably the leucomaines, intoxi-
cate the higher nerve centers Gust as "
dose of morphine does), and render
them incapable of action; that is sleep.
The picture is, however, much more
complex. There is q constant struggle
against the fatigue, which for a time,
by dint Of hard work shown i'll increas-
ed secretions and so on, may succeed.
We probably never arrive at the OK
treme limit of work; the sensation Of
fatigue interyones to prevent such n
disaster.
Fatigue, as is we'll known, may ex-
tend from muscle to nerve, and from
norye to neryo center. We may be
very tired from repeatedly lifting Il
weight, and not be sleep, and may DO
generally sleepy without any consider
able local fatigue. One is periphoral,
the other central. AS the waste pro-
ducts accumulate in the centers, mo-
ton and sensation become more and
moro sluggish, until the tlme comes
when the ordinary stimulation no long
or arouses them, and we sleep. Partial
sleep can be similarly explained. T,,o
centers go to sleep in q hicrarchical or
der, tho highest serving the most deli
| cate function going first. In waking,
tho reverse is the case; the minor cen
tors may be asleep while the intellectual
centers are awake. In somnambulis.n
the latter may be asleep while the form
| er are awake.
The depth of sleep, according to this
theory, ought to be proportional 10 the
number Of cortical molecules in co;n-
bination with the leucomaines. In Tie
beginning OF sleep these are abundant,
the cerebral cells inactive, and a com
bination easy. Tho sleep is deep.
Soon the maximum number of combin-
ations is reached and sleep is deepest.
From here OIL, tho leucomaines are
gradually eliminated and destroyed,
and sleep should decrease with a de-
creasing% intensity. Kohlschluttor's OK
perimcnts OIL tho intensity Of sleep, as
tested by the noiso necessary to awake
the patient, gives the curve for tho in
tensity Of sleep corresponding to what
we should expect by II theory. Vari.
| atlons IN orr slpnn caused hv an axcpas
OF work, etc., arc evidently similarly
explicable. In short. fatigue is a poison
for which sleep is tho normal antidote
This theory maintains ~ that the
activity Of all the tissues land primarily
Of tho two most active, the nervous AM
muscular) gives rise to substances moro
o. less allied to alkaloids, the leuco'
mainos; (2) that these induce fatigue
and sleep; l3), that on waking, il tht
| 1iSounnn rod rto HN. 4a.|. I.".f e.