Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-01
ABOUT SLEEP WALKERS.
EVIDENCES OF MEMORY AS A FAC
TOR IN SPONTANEOUSLY.


The connection between natural sleep and
magnetic or mesmeric sleep Is so close that
the former has been called ''incipient SOM
pambulsrnn
It has been proved by repeated expert
ments that natural sleep Is the most favor
able moment for uagnetizlng any one. As
rule, sleeping persons can be magnetized with
more ease and success than If they were
awake; but it is not necessary to believe all
the exravagant miracles which are claimed
as the raslsn of the exercise Of animal mag
netism.
TALKING LATIN, CREEK AND HEBREW.
A good many Of the phenomena of SOM
nambulism are explainable by memory.
There is an authenticated case CT a distln-
guished musician who once dreamed be was
listening to remarkable piece OF music per-
formed by some singers. He remembered the
melody on awaking, and was so delighted
with it that he at once wrote it down. Sew
eral years afterward as he was turning over
some old sheets of music that he had never
seen before-as he thoughT-he came upon the
very melody lie had dreamed. He could not
remember that be had ever seen or heard this
melody except in his dream, and yet it is be-
yond doubt that he had heard 1t, that he had
forgotten it, and that it had been reproduced
in his dream in the manner recorded.
CoIeridgs tells OF maid servant who, in
the delrium Of fever, repeated long passages
In Latin, Greek and Hebrew-languages
which she neither understood nor could pro-
nounce when in health, but which she had
heard G former master often reading aloud.
An even more remarkable case is mentioned
by Dr. Mayo. This was of girl who, knowing
absolutely nothing Of astronomy and mathe-
mates, once, in a sonnambulistic state, wrote
down the pages q an astronomical treatise,
with calculations and deIlneations. 1t was
found that this was taken from the Encyclo-
pedia Britannica, which she saids had read
in the library But when awake she could
not rec9l word of it.
These are but some Of many Illustrations
which might be given of cases where what
appeared at first TO be remarkable original
productions were only reproductions of men,
ory long dormant. They show that sleep
and delirium often reverse the former process
of forgetting, and that, as Du Prel says, we
possess a latent memory, the contents OF
which partially returns in dreams; some
times with, but often without, recollection.
The exaltation of memory which takes place
in sleep explains many remarkable dreams
and somnambulistic notions, to which super
stitious or mystic significance is supposed to
attach.
Du Prel mentions the case of a girl, en-
ployed as neat herd, who occupied a room
divided only ~ thin Partition from that OF
a violin play =, who used to play often dur
ing half the night. This girl, after some
months, got another place, and after she had
been there for some tSo years sounds began
to be heard coming from her room exactly
like those Of a violin. This went on for
hours, and, with irregular intervals, lasted
for two years. Then the girl began to repro
duce tones of piano which was played in
the family. and afterward began to discourse
in her sleep, in a learned and sarcastic man
ner, on religious and political subjects. In
every case she was reproducing in sleep what
she had heard said or played by members Of
the family or visitots.
There is another case mentioned by an
other writer-De Boismont. A widow was
sued for a debt of her deceased husband,
which she knew was paid. But she could not
find the receipt. Greatly disturbed, she went
to bed and dreamed that her husband came
to her and said that the receipt was in red
This she found on waking to be the case. OF
course, she had knSEn Of the hiding place
before, but had forgotten.
MANY CURIOUS INSTANCES.
We shall now give a number Of curious in
stances of the action and reaction of memory
in somnambulism, culled from a number Of
German and other scientific writers, and
cited by Du Prei
Varnhagen, once heard a sermon which great
ly impressed him. The following night he
got up and walked in his sleep, repeating
word for word the discourse he had heard.
He continued to do this at intervals for forty
years, although on waking he knew nothing
of what he had done,
4 celebrated female somnambulist named
Selma is known to have repeated, when
asleep, a poem which she had heard year
before, and once she recited poem by her
brother which he himself no longer knew,
having lost it for thirteen years.
The French scientist, Ricard, knew a
young male somnaInbulist VINO, when in the
magnetic Sleep could recite almost word for
word book he had read the day before or a
sermon which he had heard Another
French subject could give when asleep the
names, composition and quantities of the
numerous medicines which had been pre-
scribed for her by differeiA physicians dur
ing her illness, vet when awake she knew
nothing about them.
DIR. Wienholt had a patient with q very
bad memory in waking, but who during SOM
nambulism could recfte long passages from a
book she had been reading.
DR.. SCHNEIDER had a patient who, in the
magnetic sleep, could give the whole history
of her disease, many incidents OF which the
physician had himself forgotten
The French Dr. Puysegur testifes TO pa
tent he had who, when years Old, had suf-
fered injury TO the head with a consequent
surgical operation, which so destroyed the
memory that he could net recolect q thing
which happened an hour before. Yet in
somnambulisn this patient reco1ectad every
thing exactly, could describe the operation
which he had undergone, and predicted that
he should never recover his waxing memory,
as, indeed, proved TO be the case
Lafontaine. a once famous rnesuerizer, has
recorded an experiment. which he says he
once made himself ct Rennes. A young &c
tress there had asked him 70 put her TO sleep,
but requested 70 be awakened in good time
for rehearsal, as she had only read once a
part which she was 20 perform that night.
Instead of waking her, however, Latoatsins
induced her 60 20 on the stage IN her so1.-
nanbuhc condition and 20 90 through her
part without rnistaka Yet when Weakened
immediately aftsrward she could neither re-