The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-09-14
When One is Nearest Death.

Very curious and interesting is the
temporary uneasiness of all ght
sleeping humans and animals at about
3 o'clock every morning. At that
hour they give little means, awaken
partially or wholly, and then either
drop back into slumber or into death.
Physical giants among living men, and
lions among animals, have this expe-
rience, just as do the frailest babes or
weakest kittens. Viewed in any and
every light, the occurrence is remark
able. Why is it not at midnight, at l
a. NJ, 2 a. M, or in the case Of late
sleepers, why does it not come at or
o'clock?
At the hour of 3 o'clock every
morning every night-sleeping man,
woman, child and animal is nearer
to death than at any other moment in
all the twenty-four hours. 1t is then
that the more active Of the vitals
come the nearest to stopping or run
ming down. They come so near it that
if they came breath-an atom nearer
it they would stop.
The machinery of life comes within
just hairs breadth of stopping at
some moment near 3 a. m. The way
of this is explained as follows: The
composure of the body when lying
still produces not only rest, but the
same element Of danger so omnipres-
ent to all machinery left unattended
the absence Of watchful brain.
In welcoming the hours Of sleep
you unconsciously welcome deaths
most advantageous time for conquer
ing you. Every moment you are
asleep your physical self is running
unmatched by the engineer. The
supply of coal (food) for the furnace
is withheld. The steam (blood) in the
pipes run low. This neglect Of the
engine room Of the body continues un-
til some moment at about 3 o'clock
a. m. the machinery all but stops. In
the healthy or fairly healthy body the
coming Of this moment produces a
mild shock to the system, and this
shock causes you to unconsciously
throw out your arms and legs, rub
your nose violently, moan, take deep
breath and turn over. Your doing all
this-or most Of it-has literally and
Of sober truth saved your life. It
gives fresh impetus to the almost
stopped action Of the heart, which in
turn restores the well-nigh stopped
circulation all through your body.
The moan and deep breath quicken
ed the action Of the lungs and aroused
them to their usual rate Of speed.
The rest that their organs had receiv-
ed by being allowed to run slow-to
run almost down-enabled them, with
the restarting administered by the 3
o'clock commotion, to successfully
begin another run, carrying you over
the death point and allowing you to
resume completion Of the full period
Of rest necessary to the brain and to
the nerves and muscles Of the limbs
and other portions Of the body.
As to what causes the little shock
that carries us over the bridge Of death
the wisest Of the wise know nothing.
The theories about it are legion. But
they are only theories.
The percentage Of deaths at this
marvellous moment exceeds that OF
any other in the twenty-four hours
while the number Of old people who
die at about 3 o'clock in the morning
is appallingly in excess Of their death
rate for any other time. In all cases
at all critical it is said that physicians
secretly dread the hour, 3 a. m, a
hundredfold more than scarcely any
other incident in practice, while, to
all that lives and breathes, it brings