Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-01-01
EXTRAORDINARY SLEEPERS.
Sensational Cases of Profracted SOM
Violence in Various Parts of
the World.

About three years ago quite a sensa-
ton was caused among medical ex-
perts by the remarkable ease of a girl
named Kramer, who lived in the vii
lage of Huelsweiler. This girl, who
vas 10 years of age, suddenly fell into
a deep sleep from which she could not
be awakened, and she remained in this
comatose condition for a whole year.
when she was removed to the lunatic
asylum at Merzig, says London Tit
Bits.
Nothing could be done for the child
beyond carefully tending her, in the
hope that she would waken naturally,
which she actually did two months
after her admission. During the time
she vas asleep her teeth were so firm
lv elenehed that her food mad to be adj
ministered through the nos and when
she awoke her gums had completely
~oyergrown her teeth. She was detained
in the asylum until her faculties had
resumed their normal condition, and
until her memory, which had COM
pletely gone, was gradually restored.
When discharged a perfect cure had
been effected.
This case, which is probably of
the most remarkable of its kind which
has ever been recorded, is by no means
without a parallel, as the following
will show.
Blanchet, a French physician, records
the case of a patient-a lady "a years
if age-who on three separate occa-
sions slept for extraordinary periods
of time. At the age of Is she slept
for 40 days, at the age of 20 she again
slept for so days, and the last recorded
sleep extended for nearly a year.
On this occasion she was supplied
with liquid nourishment, and during
the time she remained in the comatose
condition she was motionless and in
sensible, the pulse was low, and her
breathing scarcely perceptible; but
her complexion remained ford and
healthy.
Somewhat similar was the case of a
laboring man named Samuel Clinton,
who resided at Timsbury, near Bath.
At the age of rs he fell into a profound
sleep, In which he continued for a
month in spite of all the efforts that
were made to GUS him from his
lethargic slumber. When at length he
wakened up he at once went about his
work as if nothing unusual had hap
pened.
Two years later he slept for II weeks,
and during that time he occasionally,
without waking, partook of the food
which was constantly kept beside him.
Again he awoke naturally, and on re-
Stunning work was somewhat surprised
to find it was harvest time. The period
that had elapsed between the sowing
and reaping had been to him a blank.
A year later, after complaining of a
shivering and GOODNESS in his back, he
again fell into a sleep which lasted
fully five months. Many and various
were the means adopted for the pur-
pose of rousing him, but all attempts
proved fruitless. Even the infection of
pain, which under ordinary circum-
stances would have been eXcruciating,
failed to make the slightest impression
upon him.
William Fo1ley, who was at n time
potmaker for the mint in the tower of
London, once slept for IA days and Is
nights, and then awoke under the i'm
preston that he had slept no longer
than usual. The most eminent physi-
clans of the time were quite unable to
account for his extraordinary sleep.