Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-13

waking those around him with his frightful
cries. The superstition is that during this
state of morbid dreaming the soul of the
sleeper quits the body to visit the ceme-
| teries, and feast upon the remains of the
recertlv dead.
In Dalmatia the belief is current that
there are sorcerers whose delight is to tear
olt the hearts of lovers, and to cook and eat
them. Nodier relates the story of young
man about to be married. who was the con-
slant victim of nightmare, during which he
| dreamed that be was surrounded by these
sorcerers ready to pluck his heart from his
breast, but who often awakened just as they
were about to proceed to extremities- In
order to be effectually relieved from their
visitations, he was advised to avail himself
of the company of an old priest who had
never previously heard of these horrible
dreams, and who did not believe that God
would give such powers to the enemies Of
mankind. After using various forms of ex-
orcism, the priest went percefully to sleep
In the same room with the patient, whom
he was commissioned to defend against the
sorcerers.
Remarkable Experience Of Priest
Hardly, however, had sleep descended
upon his eyelids than he thought he saw
the demons lowering over the bed of his
friend, alight, and, laughing horribly,
throw themselves on his PROSTATE body,
and with their claws tear open his breast,
and, seizing his heart. devour it with fright
full avidity. Unable to move from his bed,
or to utter a sound, he was forced to witness
this terrible scene. At last be awoke to
see no one but his companion, pale and
haggard, staggering toward him, and finally
fall dead at his feet.
These two men had similar attacks
What one dreamed he saw, the other
dreamed he had experienced.
The causes of nightmare NAV be divided
into the exciting and the immediate. The
exciting causes are very numerous. Un-
usual fatigue, either of mind or of body, re-
cent emotional disturbance, such as that
produced by fright, anxiety or anger, and
intense mental excitement of any kind may
produce it. have known a young lady to
have severe attack the night after school
examination in which she had been undulv
tasked. Another young lady is sure to be
attacked after witnessing tragedy per-
formed. A young man, who was under my
care for painful nervous affection, always
has q paroxysm of nightmare during the
first sleep after delivering an address,
which he was obliged to do every month
for a year or more.
Fullness of the stomach or the eating of
OF highly stimulating food
late in the evening will often cause night
mare Let an individual hsbitually sys-
tematic depart for ons day from the
accustomed regularity of his meals; let
him change the hour of his dinner, and go
to bed before the work of digestion is COM
pleed, and it is probable that his sleep
will be troubled and that nightmare will be
the consequence of his discretion. The
painful feeling will be induced BY disten-
sion of the stomach, by anxiety, and by the
restraint given to the movements of
the diaphragm. Starcky food would appear
to be especially powerful in causing night
mare. and according to Molet, strong
liquors and sparkling wines and coffee are I,
equally So 1 have several times known it
produced by the New England dish of |
baked pork and beans, and by green Indian |
corn eaten just before going to bed.
Various morbid affections, such as diseases |
IF the heart, aneurism of the large arteries,
affections of the brain or spinal cord, and |
diseases or the digestive or urinary appara-
us are often exciting causes of nightmare |
It may originate from painful sensations in
INV part of the body. Whatever interferes |
With the respiration or the easy flow of |
,lood to and from the head may bring on an |
Ittack of nightmare. 1 have known it |
.aused by the collar of the nightgown being |
90 tight, and by the pillow being under the |
lead and not under the shoulders, thus put
ing the head at such ar angle with the body |
IS to construct the blood vessels of the neck,
nd b. the head falling over the side of the
,ed.
Sleeping Upon the Back.
I have not been able to ascertain that
leeping upon the back or on the left side
,ases in which the former position causes
noring from relaxation of the soft palate.
The immediate cause of nightmare is un-
oubtedly the circulation of blood through
he brain which has not been sufficiently
Grated. The appearance of the sufferer is
nough to indicate this, as the condition of
he cerebral vessels and all the exciting
auses act by either retarding the flow of
he veinous blood from the brain or by i'm
eding the respiratory movements.
The effects of emotion, of mental fatigue,
nd of severe and long-contin muscular
1ertion are such that the nervous influence
D the muscles of respiration is decreased,
r the muscles themselves are debilitatcd
trough the general fatigue of the organ
sm. Fullness of the stomach acts mechan-
,allv, by interfering with the condition of
he diaphragm and construction about the
eek directly increases the flow of blood
trough the brain. Certain diseases of the
cart and lungs act upon the dition of
be diaphragm and construction with due
of the blood.
WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, N. d
1