The Portland daily press., 1897-12-28
A STRANGE CASE.
A Minnesota Rip Van WinkIe Who Has
Slept Twenty Years and Is Still at 1t.
(From the Omaha Bee

Near the city of St. Charles, Mimi, re-
sides "A sleeping wonder i'll the person Of
Herman Harms, who has spent nearly
every hour during the last eighteen or
twenty years in unconscious slumber.
MIR. Harms has quite family of adult,
children, and al hough much money has
been spent for the best of medical treat
ment and advice, no doctor has yet been
found who has been able to break the
spell under which the sleeper rests. He
is given food by tender hands, but seems
only partially aroused when being fed,
and on being left alone, at once drops
off to sleep. In fact, it is so hard to
arouse him that a great part Of his food
has to be administered in liquid form.
When Harms went West, nearly twenty
years ago he took up farming. Gradual
ly the sleeping spell grew upon him, un-
til he was unable to attend to his farm
and for while, until his sons became
Cd enough, the place was much neglect
ed, and the income Of the family, once
prosperous, greatly diminished.
This summer for a few days the sleeper
thoroughly awoke and his family were in
hopes his long slumber was at last bro
ken. Bui the awakening was but for q
short time; few days, and Herman
Harms was again i'll a solid sleep.
The pulse of the sleeper is regular,
though stronger than that OF the healthy
adult. 1t fairly seems that the heart
meant to burst the capillaries and drown
that organ. The pulse over the temple
is strong and the head is hot, while the
flesh is generally below the ordinary
temperature. AS he sleeps the eyelids
blink as if annoyed by the light, but
this they always do. The usual position
of the sleeper is on the left side, the left
hand firmly against the brow. AT the
times when the sleeper awakens be is ra-
tional and shows that his mind is entire
ly unclouded.
Harms is now fifty-six years old. When
the first symptoms Of this trouble made
their appearance in 1875, the patient
weighed 1S0 pounds; now he does not
weigh more than half that-about ninety
pounds. He is, in fact, almost skele-
ton. His beard and hair are long, his
features drawn, white and thin; the
cheek bones look as though they would
soon force their way through the covering
of the skin Harms has five children,
none of whom show any signs of the ter
rible malady which holds their father to
his bed.
Many different opinions have been ex
pressed by the mum arous physicians who
have attended the case unsuccessfully.
Powerful electric batteries have been ap-
piled to the body, the only effect of which
was to cause a slight contraction of the
muscles of the body. The disease has
been variously diagnosed as heart trouble,
softening of the brain, Brights disease
of the kidneys, complication ofTroubles
and the use of too much quinine.
Harms is fed about once in twenty four
hours-sometimes only once in forty eight
hours. In the partaking of food he is
very, frugal, refusing any dainties that
sympathetic friends and neighbors may
offer him, saying that d slice of buttered
bread is enough for him. In faca, his
digestive organs have become SO weakened
that to eat anything more substantial
would prove harmful.
Mr.. Harms is of very religious turn
of mind and on account of religious
scruples has refused many good financial
offers from managers of museums. The
family absolutely refuse to give out
Harms's picture for publication, and, in
truth, do not desire any notoriety in the
matter.
The man shows tremendous vitality to
have lived in his unusual and unnatural
condition so long, and it seems now sure
ly that his days must be very nearly
numbered.