The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1899-11-19
THE BRAIN IN SLEEP /.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CAUSES
THAT PRODUCE DREAMS.

tf1At rftOOQCG OnEftWO-
The Influence ON the Nerves by the
Stomach and the Food That 1t Con-
tains-Evcnts That Occur In n Frac-
tfon OF Second.
Dreams are ge9erally repetition OF
thoughts unguided by reason. Those
caused by internal action or brought
about by actionSwithin the body are
due entirely to the action and state of
the stomach, which In turn is affected
by the quantity and quality Of food
consumed.
The first ends or feelers of the nerves
are located In the walls of the stom-
ach. and as the food is digested they
draw up the nourishment and distrib-
ute 1t throughout the nervous system
to replace the waste that has taken
place during the day. If the stomach
be surcharged with an abundance or
heating food, too much nourishment is
forced upon the brain, causing an abb
normal filling of the channels, thereby
expanding them, bringing them in
touch with others and causing the mat
ter from one to overflow into or to mix
with the fluid of ncighboring channels.
Whenever the fluid traverSeS n chan-
mel more or less forcibly the thought
which originated that passage is re-
produced more or less vividly; hence
insurcs the general mixing up Of
thoughts which originally had no con-
nection with each other.
IeD
a flow of blood to the brain, sent there
by nature to assist in asSiInilatlnG the
extra nourishmcnt. and the ovcrcharg-
ed blood vessels. pressing upon the
nerve channels near the brain. cause
even more turbulent disturbances. This
accounts for the advice of so many
medical men that no considerable
quantity. especially of animal food.
should be taken Immediately before
bedtime. The crossing, recrossing and
touching of these thought channels
brought about in this way produce the
absurd mixtures of fancies that often
come to us when we sleep.
The stomach, too, is a mill which
keeps on forever grinding, the walls
acting as the grindstones. When.
therefore, there is nothing between
them. or, in other words. when the
stomach is empty, one wall grinds up
on the other. causing an irritation of
the nerves which produces that pecul-
lar sensation of falling from some
great height.
To understand how external action
will affect the dream of n sleeper il
must be borne in mind that those
dreams which seem to take hours, and
even days, in passing really occupy but
O minute fraction of second. If,
therefore. we are awakened by some
loud. strident noise. say by the crack
ing of n whip, then between the time
that the sound strikes the ear while
we are yet asleep and the time that
we are fully awake to realize what has
caused the sound n few moments only
were sufficient to allow of a dream OF
apparently several hours duration.
AS an example: a milkman, driving
up beneath an open bedroom window,
cracks his whip sInartly. Immediate
ly the thought produced by the sound
causes dream. The sleeper imagines
himself n soldier who has fallen into
the hands of the enemy. He is led out
to he shot. He stands blindfolded, with
hands tied, before the platoon of sol.
diers. lie hears the click, click. click
as the rifles are cooked. He hears the
Word given. and the noise of the volley
rings out on his cars. Then he awakes
with start. to hear the rumble of the
milkman's wagon as he cracked his
whip and drove off over some rough
cobblestones.
A blow, q cut or a sensation Of pain
will operate In the same way and
awaken certain channels of thought
connected with pain just as the noise
awoke those connected with sound.
For instance. a sleeper dreams thai
he is closed up in some close travelling
carriage and is being driven rapidly of
in an unknown direction by q man whC
has designs upon his purse and life
He tries to shout. In vain he struggle:
to get free and in the tussle drives al
arm through the glass window of tht
carriage. The hand is cut apd bleed
ing. 1t smarts fearfully. and b,
awakes to find that in his sleep be hat
carelessly thrown out an arm, and hi
hand has smashed some fine medicin
glass on a stand by the bedside. Th
whole dream passed between the tim
that the hand first struck the glass
creating the sensation of pain, and tn
moment that the sleeper awoke to real
ize the fact.-Chicago Record.
"After you had been at my house tn