The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-08-17
SOME LONG SLEEPS.
Twn Pnrsnns Who Arc Milking n (:ren I
Record.

There have been numerous instances
in which persons have slept for weeks
without awakening, and usually they
have been the victims Of we'll defined
nervous disorder.
Probably the most remarkable sleep
cr OF modern times is Herman Harms,
a citizen Of St. Charles, Mimi. lie
has slept almost continuously for
twenty gears, and is still in the land
of the living. He fell asleep in 1873,
when he was twcnty-six years Of age,
and was at that time perfectly sound
in mind and body, weighing $50
pounds. Though he has been fed sys-
tcmatically as well as circumstances
will ALLOW during the whole Of his long
sleep, he has been reduced to scarcely
half his former weight, being only 81
pounds. Harms is fed usually once u
day, but sometimes goes two or three
days without drink, all his food be-
ing in liquid form. He is the father
of family Of five, none of whom dis
play any signs Of the unhappy malady
which has kept their father uncon-
scious for twenty years.
Periodically the sleeper awakcns for
short interval, but he invariably re-
lapses again into slumbcr. In his mo-
ments of partial consciousness he re-
cognizcs friends, and appears to be
unaware Of the state through which he
is passing. a year ago he was awake
for some days and every effort was
made to preserve his consciousness,
but in vain. Harms sank back to
sleep in less than week after he had
awakened, and has since slept the
sleep Of the living. Numerous physi-
clans have given their attention to his
case, and various means of arousing
the man from his lcthargy have been
tried without avail.
Powerful electric batteries have
been applied to the body again and
again, but the only effect has been to
cause slight twitch of the muscles as
if the sleeper felt pain, and in the
next moment he is once more in a
dead stupor. All sorts of explana-
tions have been offered of this mystic
ry, and doctors have variously stated
that Harms suffers from Bright's dis
ease, heart trouble or softening of the
brain, but so far no satisfactory con-
clusion has been arrived at as to the
cause Of his marvellous sleep. Itis an
aspect of physical science which has
yet to be solved. Catalepsy frequent
ly takes peculiar form, which is
quite as difficult to account for as the
disease itself, for the doctors are
agreed that somnambulism of this kind
is disease, and that no person in
good health ever sleeps for such abb
normal periods.
One OF the most eccentric catalep-
tics ever known. says the London
Globe, was Elizabeth Perkins, who
lived in Norfolk. This old lady spent
most of her later life in state of un-
consciousness, but regularly woke one
dsy III seven, and iI the s'Phi;cscph-
ical Transaction" the case is men
toned of Elizabeth Orrip. who, for
ten years, never slept less than seven
teen hours out of twenty-four, and was
perfectly sane when awake. Another
remarkable feature in this strange all
ment is that it seiaes its victims with
out the slightest warning, and that
while it looks some persons in slumber
for years, others are released after
week or q month.
In 1886 lady fell asleep for seven
days, and awoke at the end Of the week
as usual, and in the summer of the
same year Russian soldier fell asleep
in IN English workhouse and did not
awake until the following August.
These comparatively short sleeps are
often traceable to nervousness or phys
ical weakness. Fright appears to be
the most common cause of long sleep.
Some years ago young woman was on