The times., 1898-08-04
LONG SLEEPS.
Two Persons Who Are Making n
Great Record


There have been numerous instances in
which persons have slept for weeks
without awakening. and usually they
have been the victims of a well-defined
nervous disorder.
Probably the most remarkable sleeper
of modern times is Herman Harms, a
citizen OF ST. Charles, MINI. He has
slept almost continuously for twenty
years and is still in the land of the liv-
ing. He fell asleep in 1873. when he was
twenty-six years of age. and was al that
time perfectly sound in mind and body
weighing $50 pounds. Though he has been
fed systematically as well as circum-
stances will allow during the whole of mis-
long sleep. he has been reduced 10 scarce
ly half his former weight being only
eiglty-four pounds. Harms is fed usu-
ally once day, but sometimes goes two
or three days without a drink, all his
food being in liquid form He is the
father of a family of five, none of whom
displays any signs of the unhappy mala-
dy which has kept their father uncen-
scious for twenty years
Periodically the sleeper awakens for a
short interval. but he invariably relapses
again into slumber. In his moments OF
partial consciousness he recognizes
friends and appears to be unaware OF The
state through which he is passing.
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 a week after he
had awakened, and has since slept the
sleep OF The Ewing. Numerous physicians
have. given their attention to the case,
and various means of arousing the man
from his lethargy have been tried, with
out avail.
Powerful electric batteries have been
applied to the body again and again, but
the only effect has been 10 cause a slight
twitch of the muscles as if the sleeper
felt pain. and the next moment he is once
more in dead stupor. All sorts of ex-
plantations have been offered of this mys-
terry and doctors have variously stated
that Harms suffers from Bright's disease,
heart trouble or softening of the brain,
but so far no satisfactory conclusion has
been arrived at as TO the cause of his
marvellous sleep. Il is an aspect OF phys
ical science which has yet to be solved.
Catalepsy frequently takes a peculiar
form, which is quite as difficult 10 ac-
count for as the disease itself, for the
doctors are agreed that somnambulism OF
this kind is disease and that no per-
son in good health ever sleeps for such
abnormal periods
One OF the most eccentric catalepties
ever known. says the London Globe, was
Elizabeth Perkins. who lived in Norfolk
This old lady spent most of her later life
in a state of unconsciousness, but regu-
larry awoke one day in seven. and in the
Philosophical Transactions" the case
Is mentioned of Elizabeth Orrin who. for
ten years, never slept less than seven
teen out of twenty-four hours, and was
perfectly sane when awake. Another re-
markable feature of this strange ailment
is that il seizes its victims without the
slightest warning, and that while it locks
some persons in slumber for years others
are released after week or a month.
In 1856 a lady fell asleep for seven days
and awoke at the end of the week as us
ual and in the Summer of the same year
a Russian soldier fell asleep in an English
workhouse, and did not awake till the fol-
lowing August. These comparatively short
sleeps are often traceable to nervousness
or physical weakness. Fright appears to
be the most common cause of long sleep
Some years ago young woman was on
exhibition in various places who had been
asleep since she was twelve years old
At that age the child suffered severe at
tack of fever, on recovering from which
she reiapsed into a deep sleep, in which
she remained more or less until her
death. which took place at the age of
twenty-six, after she had been asleep
fourteen years.
During the first few months of her sleep
the girl awoke twice every twenty-four
hours for about ten minutes; but in her
most wakeful intervals she appeared
elnn
soundly asleep nothing could rouse her
She never complained of pain but when
asleep her hands We're always clutched
tightly and she appeared extremely ner-
vous, occasionally suffering from vio-
lent jerking and twitching of her muscles
and limbs. Several cases have come un-
der notice during the last few years Of
persons falling asleep for week or more.