The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-22
pREAMLEss SLEEP.
High Medical Authorities say 1t Is
Impossible.


Many authorities. such as Sir Benjamin
Brodie. Sir Henry Holland, Goodwin and
DR.. John Reid. have held that sleepers
who assert on waking that they have not
dreamed are mistaken. In the Scottish
Medical and Surgical Journal Sir Arthur
Mitchell affirms that these writer's are
correct. Says the writer of notice in
the British Medical Journal:
Upholders of the theory of a dreamless
slumber viii be comforted in finding that
nothing of the nature of actual proof is
offered by Sir Arthur Mitchell. This. in
deed. he admits, as he expressly states
that he does not expect to be able to do
more than show that his theory lis posi-
bly,. If not probably. correct" and that he
desires TO bring the matter into promi-
nence. > With regard to the propo-
sition that continuous dreaming possibly
occurs the author may faily claim to have
established case. - Sir Arthur
Mitchell first attacks the idea of dream
less slumber. Many persons when
awakened from sleep assert very positive
ly that they have not been dreaming, and
that yet, later on, remember that they
have done so after all. In a large number
of cases such people may never be able to
remember at all. THE absence of a
knowledge of having dreamed furnishes
no proof that dreams have not taken
place. The watcher by the bedside of n
sleeping person may have what he re-
CARDS as satisfactory evidence that the
person is dreaming, yet that person, when
the sleep ends may feel quite positive
that dreams have not taken place" In
the direct support of his theory the au-
thor cannot be said to be very convincing,
nor from the nature of his subject is it
possible that he could be- Several reso-
Lutte observers" he says. had for a con-
siderable time scarcely ever failed to ask
themselves Immediately on awakening If
they had dreamt OF not, and they NEARLY
always got a satisfactory affirmative an
swer. In many such cases the details of
the dream were completely gone, but they
knew that a dream had occurred. II, then
these mental processes continue both dur
ing sleep and while we are awake, 1t
might naturally be supposed that the
brain would become worn out Such
dreaming, or sleep thinking however,
is not TO be considered as affotding no
rest On the contrary, by the withdrawal
of will" during sleep this form of
thought is, so to speak, left free to sport
and accordingly refreshment actually
comes from the change. not WEAKNESS
Similarly delirium is merely another form
of this thinking without the control of
the will. Further, on such a hypothesis
a reason might, perhaps, be found to ex-
plain why raying may go on for a con-
siderable period without ordinary sleep
Some persons, again, are never really
wide awake, and their thinking is norm
ally of this disordered character. Into
this class Sir Arthur Mitchell would even
place the man in Drown study" al
though surely one would rather look upon
this condition as a concentration of
thought and very clearly under the direc-
ton of the will. Sir Arthur Mitchell also
touches on other interesting points. All
dream thinking is incoherent and pur-
poseless in character. Consequently, all
stories of intricate mathematical prob
lens having been solved during sleep he
regarded absolutel vas myths In the
same way he considers none of the re-
ported somnambulistic feats will bear SCI
entif1c investigation. In stating that
there is often loss of moral sense during
dreams even In the most moral people
the author is In agreement with Miss
Power Cobbe. Accounts, however, of
dreams must be received with caution
usually the editing is free" with this
certainly all will agree.