The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-03

From the st. Louis Republic.
During the past month the Republic has
,,;ron several extended notices of the ex-
9raordiaary sleeping propensities Of Miss
rnma Althaus of Attica n Y, under the
canton of "a Sleeping Beauty" This
vonng lady fell asleep Jan. and remained
:, q conatose condition until the afternoon
g Fob 6. all efforts to rouse her from what
soamed a peaceful slumber having been I'M
availing duri G the Intervening "a days.
As remarkable as this may seem to the
casual reader, it is only very common
firm of sleepy disease, known to science as
sonnolency or narcolepsy. Some physi-
clans term this extraordinary con iition
constitutional lethaTgc slumber." DR..
Rlanchet, the great French specialist, mem
tions three cases which he considers beyond
the ordinary; a com Dlete account of these
NAV be found in the Completes RenduS of
1864. In the first of the cases mentioned
the patient was woman, then 81 years of
age Her first sleep came on when she was
about IS and lasted about "a days. After
ward. for the next two years, she expert
enced no trouble In waking an sleeping as
ordinary folks do until after narrow escape
fro n OedJu III Il LhileA dJ 0NNiOC =. fALlCA
her nerves became quiet she tucked the
drapery around her bed, closed her eyes
and quietly slumbered for the next two
months For the next four Yea S she ex-
bihited no abnormal traits OF mind or BODY
Every function seemed active, and in no
Iray did she show the least trace Of ten
dency toward narcolepsv. All outside ap-
nearances were delusive. however, after
the regular Easter feast on Easter Sunday,
1862 she fell into a profound slumber whic
nothing could d Sturb in the least, and re-
NAMED in thai condition almost wear, or
until the middle of March, 1858. During
these III months her complexion renamed
rudy and healthy looking, notwiths and
ing the fact that there was not sin lie
evacuation of the bowels during that Pc
Rod Physicians came from far and near,
every effort was made to break tue lethargv,
but all attempts were futile. Two false
front teeth were removed from the patient
ID order to supply her with ourishmen5,
which consisted of soups. milk, bsef tea,
etc At last accounts she as we'll, perfect
in mind, with a good prospect of making up
for the we lost in sleep.
TWO VERY QUEER CASES.
In the year 1880 two wonderful cases of
persistent narcolepsy were reported. II
the last week in January, in that year, the
daughter of the ma or Of Grambke, little
respond to the morning call, notwithstand-
ing vigorous efforts on the part of her
sisters to arouse her. At noon the father
was informed, but remarked thai the child
was tired having attended will age gath
erirg the day before where 70 Dping was
INDUCED in to excess On the morni of
the second day, the father became thor
oughly alarmed and efforts were again
made to break the spell, but they, like
those of the morning before, were unsuc-
cesSful. From hat time forward until
about the middle of October, wi h e ex-
ception of few hours of semi-w keful less,
the girl continued to slumber as naturally
as any child over-fatigued from a day of
exercise. On Oct IA, eight mo- tbs ana a
half having elapsed since tine beginning Of
her unnatural sleep, she awoke nd called
her sisters to help dress her, remarki z, -
expect Gretchen will be here now before
finish my breakfast" She ate heartily, but
could not be induced to believe that it was
October and thai little Gretchen, her play
mate, had been dead several mon hs. TIE
sisters of the lit sleeper remem 5ered that
little Gretchen had called on the first dav of
the chid's sleep "just ecause she had
promised her that she would when ey
parted the night before" The fact at
the child did not mention the prospective
call from her little friend during her mo-
ments of seeming wakefulness in April and
July gave the attending physicians ample
room to question whe her she had really
been awake during those semi-lucid inter
vals Within few days she was as bright
and as playful as ever, seemingly nole the
worse off for her eight and half mo tbs
of torpidity. On five different occasions,
twice in April and three times in July,
when she could break the lethargy
for a few moments she seemed as
bright and happy as though in
her normal condition; would insist on
helping sweep or was dishes, but always fell
asleep before the task was completed The
fact that she never mentioned the names of
any of her playmates during these spells of
SEMI wakefulness, argues against her really
being awake until the October morning
When she announced the prospective call
from her Ii tile friend who hal died in NJ ~.
In 1874, while Nathan g. Vrocman of
Schenectady, n. Y, was at work in the
harvest field, he received a severe sunstroke,
but quickly recovered and was soon able 70
take his fork and go afeld as though moth
ing had happe ed. A few days later he
complained of dizziness, and ere long was
forced to give up the farm altogether. He
worked In the carshops OF the city named
ABOVE for about two years, but was never
rid Of the feeling of dizzi less, especially if
engaged IN stOopi x work. In the six years
that followed his su stroke he was success
lVely shopman, brakeman and con-
ductor on a freight train. On Feb. Is,
1881, his head t Dubbed him more than
usIa, and in the afternoon he gave up his
work and took to bel. He i'm nediately
1ell asleep, and continued in that condition
almost without interruption for four week
ana three days. He wou eat only on al
terIate d VS. and then with ais eyes closed,
giving no heed TO what was going on
around him. His appetite was fairly good
Ior ohel an inactive state, and never for a
moment did he show signs Of fever or de-
Hrlum. Toward the end of the thirty-first
gay NrocmaD gradually reused himself; the
attendants afed his arms, legs end tenn
pies lie opened his eyes, cal Ell for and
ave hearty suppe', impressiag the attend
ants with the voracious ess of his appetite.
Durlng the next few days be was very com
muhlcatlve, persisting in keeping up run
4ihg conversation on all sorts of subjects.
PERSONS IN the room who had known HIM
since the time Of the sunstroke, say that he
taiKed more during the first night of wake
Lulness than he had during the first SIX
years preceding. He was awake almost all
cue ume for the next ten days, aud gained
H.sh and spirits rapidly. On the evening
u Ile te'th day he again became morose
ana sleepy, took to his bed and slept almost
continually for a month. Then a brail
istence.
TOO SLEEPY TO GET MARRIED.
- The case OF Herman w. Platt OF Newton.
NIoLn., was somewhat similar to that of
srocman. In the fsll Of 1882, On a uurky,
4 lii. go,