The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-12-02
CAUSES OF NIGHTMARE.
FRESH DATA WHICH THROW A NEW
LIGHT ON DREAMS.

ant Dreams Made to Order-Dreains
Given to Us For q Good Purpose.
.sRecent experiments, which do not
seem to have found their way into pop
ular print, throw q tremendous amount
of new light upon Dreams" said
we'll known specialist in nervous dis
eases a day or two ago to a New York
Herald reporter. "For instance, 1t is
shown very satisfactorily how charac-
ter can be read from dreams within
certain limits, and how dreams can now
be made to order by applying certain
stimuli. Then, there is no end of
fresh data explaining causes OF hide
GUS nightmares and ordinary dreams,
as well as of supposed premonitory
visions during the sleeping state.
1T have an instrument which has
lately been used to penetrate deep in
to dark and unexplored chasms OF
dreamland. Technically, it is known
as the ophthomaloscope, but l often
iokingly refer to it as my dream tele-
scope. It is ordinarily used for care
ful examination of the inner mechan-
ism of the eye. 1t has aided in chow
ing that much of the real food for
dreams is contributed by Opaque part
icles upon the eye, which in the wax
ing state appear projected into space
as twisted bodies, drops, lines, black
spots. etc., often mistaken for natural
objects.
How. then, can the dreamer see in
the darkp That is easily explained.
Few people realize that the human
BODY normally has the glow worm
characteristic of self illumination. Yet
it is true. Phosphorus exists in all
healthy bone, tissue, muscle, blood and
nervous gray matter. As is well known,
phosphorus emits light. So does the
protoplasm in every cell of the body.
So do calcic sulphide, boric sulphide
and chalk, naturally found in the body.
So do teeth. g.,
THE EYE ILLUMINATED.
Gas oxygen is being constantly
brought to these ingredients through
the lungs and circulation, light is be-
ing generated inside every part OF the
organism. The eyelid, as well as the
inner eve, thus becomes illuminated
to degree imperceptible in the wax.
ing state. Some people have been
known to be so phosphorescent as to
be normally luminous anywhere IN the
dark. This is so especially in certain
diseases, such as phthisis and during
luminous sweat
"Foreign substances upon the eye
thus throw their dark shadows, and
suggest objects which set the dream
mechanism in motion. Particles in
or uron the retina seem when the eye
is closed to be five or six feet distant
The same is often true of shadows
due to folds in the cornea, shadows o
twitching blood vessels and their cor
muscles within the retina. Indeed
increased blood pressure through the
retina is known to cause various
spectra.
SIN our dreams we see more thai
J we hear. In storm portrayed In
dream we see the lightning but seldom
hear the thunder. Likewise we heal
, more than we feel, feel more than w
taste and taste more than We smell
while dreaming.
However, we have all noticed wha
, dream images have been suggested D.
noises. The sharp banging OF doc
suggests a dream in which the re
port of gun is heard. During slee
=, the ear receives innumerable vibra
tons. or molecular sounds, imper
ceptible in the waking state. These
, as we'll as shadows, furnish food fo
: many inexplicabls dreams.
"How sensations of touch and {
: temperature so act during sleep
, we'll known. I know q man who upo
!, feeling hot water bottle placed at b
= feet dreamed that he was walking upo
= hot lava. In another such case Mex
cans were holding the subjects feet
q fire to make him confess the secre
y of alchemy. A woman so treated in
agined herself bear being taught
dance over hot iron plates. II ye
want to have some fun, try this 9.
pertinent upon some unsuspsctir
friend.
:, ga cold application will probab
y suggest walking on snow or ice IN Il
:. bare feet. This often occurs whe
:, the feet become uncovered. Tit
=. there is the very common dream
y walking about the street Invested
- your lower apparel, and OF sufferil
" great embarrassment at being so di
. covered. When you dream this no
" that you have kicked the covers
your legs. Another common drea
70 is that of flying through the air. III
- is due to draught blowing over t
- body. The sensation suggests to t
:. backward dream reasoning that t
:, body is moving through the wind.
q. EFFEcTs OF SMELL AND TASTE.
Sc sIikewise with the sense of SINE
le I heard of physician who when !
a uired to spend the night at the
I'd melting house of cheesemone
as dreamed he was sealed up IN an /
mense cheese, where an army OF n
w were running over his body.
it. "Taste will act similarly. Form
II, Surgeon General Hammond tells Of
he young woman who put aloes on
thumb to cure her baby habit OF SUI
ing that member. She dreamed Il
re she crossed the ocean in vessel
p. NORWOOD and that she tasted its /
terness whenever eating or drinkll
all In Europe, she imagined physic
I'D treated her with OK gall, and the Pa