St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-15
By Their Means the Stealthy
Approach Of Disease Is
FOpetold.
The Brain, He Thinks, Feels
the First Approach Of a
Serious Melady.
A Few Curious Instances That
Have Come Under His OBJ
SepVatiOn.

| believed in the prophetic nature of
dreams, we now know that the relation,
| lnstead of being one of prophecy and
| fulfillment, is simply that of cause and
| effect, writes DR.. William A. Hammond
| in the New York Herald. Very slight
| impressions made upon the senses dur
| ing sleep are exaggerated by the par
| TALLY awakened brain.
The first evidence of approaching pa
ralysis may be very minute degree of
| numbneSS, so minute that the brain,
| when awake and engaged with the busy
| thoughts of active life, fails to appreci-
| ate 1t. During sleep, however, the
| brain is QuieScent, till some exciting
| cause sets itin uncomfortable action, and
| dreaming results. Such a cause may
be the incipient numbness of a limb.
| A dream of its being turned into stone,
| or cut off, or violently struck is the con-
| sequence. The disease goes on develop
| ing and soon makes its presence unmis-
| taxable.
For several years past l have made
| INQUIRIES OF patients and others relative
| to their dreams and have thus collected
a large amount of material bearing up
| OH the subject. With reference TO the
| point under consideration. the data in
my possession are exceedingly Impor-
tant and interesting. Among the
| cases which have thus come under my
| observation Of diseases being preceded
| by morbid dreams are the following:
Dreamed He Was Cut In TWO.
A gentleman, two days before an at
tack of hemiplegia, dreamed that he
| was cut in two exactly down the mesial
| line from the chm to the perineum. BY
| some means union Of the divided sur
| faces was obtained, but he could only
/ move to one side. On awakening q lit
| tie numbnesS existed in the side which
| he had dreamed was paraiyzed. This
| soon passed off and ceased to engage
! his attention. The following night ne
| had somewhat similar dream, and the
next day, toward evening, was seized
| with the attack which rendered him
hemiplegic.
| Another dreamed one night that
man dressed in black and wearing
| black mask came to him and struck him
| violently on the leg. He experienced
no pain, however, and the man con-
tinued to baat him. In the morning he
felt nothing, with the exception of
/ slight headache. Nothing unusual was
observed about the leg. and all went on
| we'll until, on the fifth day, he had an
/ apOplectic attack. accompanied with
| heniplegia. including the leg which he
struck.
A lady aged forty, who had been a
great sufferer from rheumatism for
many years, dreamed one afternoon
while sitting in her chair III front of the
fire, that boy threw a stone at her,
, which, striking her on the face, inflicted
a very serious injury. The next day
violent inflammation of the tissues
around the facial nerve as it emerges
from the style-mastold foramen set IN
| and paralysis of the nerve followed, due
to etfusion of the serum, thickening,
and consequent pressure.
A young lady dreamed that she was
seized by robbers and compelled TO
swallow melted lead. In the morning
she felt as we'll as usual, but toward the
middle of the day was attacked with
severe tonsiltis.
Pulled His Hair Out.
A young man informed menthat day
Or before being attacked with acute
meningitis, he had dreamed that lie was
seized by banditti while travelling in
Spain. and that they had taken his hair
out by the roots, causing him great
pain.
A lady of decided good sense had an
epileptic seizure which was preceded
by singular dream. She had gone to
DCu iCCllIS OOif1C w nut uSu MlIlI tIiG
labOrS OF the day. which had consisted
in attending three or four receptions,
winding up with dinner party. She
had scarcely fallen asleep when she
dreamed that an old man clothed in
black approached her. holding an iron
crown of great weight i'll his hands. AS
he came nearer she perceived that it
was her father, who had been dead sew
eral years, but whose features she dis
tinctiy recollected. Holding the crown
at arms length he said:
My daughter, during my lifetime |
was forced to wear this crown. Death
relieved me of the burden, but now it
descendS to you"
Saying which he placed the crown on
her head and disappeared gradually
from her sight. Immediately she felt
great weight and an intense feeling of
construction in her head. TO add 10 her
distress she imagined chat the rim of
the crown was studded OH the inside
with sharp points, which wounded her
forehead SO that the blood streamed
down her face. She awoke with agita-
ton, excited, but felt nothing uncoIn-
Portable. Looking at the clock on the
mantelpiece she found that she had
been in bed exactly thirty-fve minutes.
She returned to bed and soon fell asleep,
but was again awakened by similar
dream. On this occasion the apparition
reprOached her for not being willing to
wear the crown. She hao been in bed
this last time over three hours before
awaking. Again she fell asleep and
again at broad daylight she was awak-
ened by like dream.
An Inherited Dream.
She now got UP, took bath and pro-
ceeded to dress herself with her maids
assistance. Recalling the particulars
of her dream. she reeolected that she
had heard her father say one day that
in his youth, while being i'll England,
his native country. he had been subject
to epileptic commissions, consequent on
fall from tree, and that he had been
cured by having the operation of ire
phining performed by distinguished
London surgeon.
Though by no means snperstitious,
the dreams made q deep impression
upon her, and. her sister entering the
room at the time, she proceeded to de-
tail them to her. While thus engaged
she suddenly gave a loud scream. be- |
came unconscious and fell upon the |
floor in true epileptic convulsion. This |
DaroXySm was not severe one. 1t wa5 |
followed in about a week by another. |
and, strange to say, this was preceded |
as the other by a dream of her father |
placing an iron crown OIL her head and |
of pain being thereby produced. Since !
then several months have elapsed, and !
she has had no other attack, owing to |
the influence OF the bromide of potas- |
SUM which she continues to take.
In the case of gentleman formerly |
under my treatment for epilepsy the |
fits are Invariably preceded by dreams |
OF difficulties of the head, such as de- /
caDitatiOn, hanging, DerfOratiOn with |
an augur. etc.
A lady, previous to an attack of sell |
atIca, dreamed that she had caught her
foot in spring trap and that before she |
could be freed it was necessary to am !
putate the member. The operation was
performed, bat as she was released a
large dog sprang at her and fastened |
his teeth in her thigh. She screamed
aloud and awoke in her terror. Nothing