The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1904-01-15
BRAIN ASLEEP KEEPS TIME.
Wrapt In Slumber man hss
Idea Of Hour Than When
Awake.


Awake.
That a man may have better idea oi
the time of night when he awakens
from a good sleep than he would nave
Of the time OF day, provided ne were
working unusually hard. with unusual
intentness of purpose, is one OF the ouu
facts connected with the operation OF the
human brain, says the Chicago Tribune.
But on the other hand. If man may
work. With such intensity OF PURPOSE 40
10 forget the lapse OF two or three houiS
Of daylight, so he may sleep Win
soundness that prevents the httie ti"e
keeper of the brain from making SUP
conscious note OF the hour hand OF the
clock in the night. AS between the '"o
conditions, however, it is the OPINION VI
DR.. o. A. King. professor OF nervous as
eases in the College of Physicians anu
Surgeons. that the awakened sleeper
usually has a better idea OF the nignt VI
the nixht than the other may have OF lne
fight Of the day.
"Uuder ordinary circumstances the
person who is in normal sleep is not
asleep" said the doctor. THAT one hooh
in the brain which takes cognizance Oh
time is alert to an extent not appreciated
by the layman Awakening at any ume
in the night the person in good heaith
and condition knows pretty cioseiy
whether it is midnight or AFTER OF
whether It be nearer two O'Clock In the
morning than it is to four o'clock. Many
persons have the faculty so cultivated
that they know within the quarter hours
of the exact time.
ION the other hand 1t is common ex-
preston with personsfn all line OF WORK
suddenly to look at the clock and eA-
press the keenest surprise that II is SO
! late in the afternoon or the evening"
| and occasionally one who has been work
| ing to. poor advantage and under di1-
ficulties will be surprised on looking at
his watch that ii is so early.
THAT the brain in sleep keeps TINS
tally upon the time is proved by the IN
fiuences of anaesthetics. A person VINO
!, has been profoundly under the influence
of any drug used for the purpose Will De
as utterly unconscious of the passing Oh
ten minutes as he will be unconscious
/ of the passing of an hour. He may be
forgetful Of all conditions leading up to
/ the state OF anaesthesia and for the time
, being he may have forgotten the day OF
the week.
.As to the time measurement In sleep
I: n Is be ST represented in the person used
to travel and to the catching OF trains IN
the night. Many Of these persons will ot
| able to awaken at an hour giving then
Just the margin needed for preparation
for the train.
"One of the peculiarities OF person!
waking for train, or for any such emer
gency: is that the awakening always II
sudden. There is none OF the prelimi
nary yawning, and stretching, and slow
tlv returning sense OF luxurious rest and
comfort felt by the man who has slep
a full sleep. In this awakening to
certain time the person frequently feel
that impression of sudden sound which
he knows cannot have been made o.
uttered. Not infrequently he has tn
sense that some one has called his name
He may be almost certain that he ha
heard his first neutrality-suspicious.
with the characteristic rising infection
In almost any case his awakening ]
without any prem0nitory symptoms.
Is with a sort Of jolt that he comes int
full fiedged consciousness. In such case
as those where the sleep Is profound be
+. yond any consciousness OF the time. tn
dream period of sleep is left far behind
the sleep has approached the depth
anaesthesia."
One of the oddities Of sleep was referre
to in which a person may lie down TO
, rest without intending to sleep. 1t ma
} be morning or afternoon, but the fatigu
, that prompts the person to lie dow
overcomes him, and. after sound sleeI
. he awakens without any knowledge Q
time in any sense. He does not realiz
, whether it is morning or afternoon
whether he has had luncheon, or wheth
er he may not have slept through da
and q night, and awakened into anothe
day. 1t is the opinion OF DR.. King that
such a case the person experiencing tn
sensations probably is not in q norms
state of health.
As an example Of sleep that should
natural and close to the design OF natur'
and of an awakening that should
normal without the effect Of an artifici,
civilization crowding 1t, the babe whic
has rested to the full and begins I
arouse itself from slumber Is an interes
ing study.
Joke On the Professor.
Once upon . time Prof. Wilson, /,
Edinburgh, wrote on the blackboard /
his laboratory:
1 s-Pruf Wilson informs his studen
that he has this day been appointed hol
4 eF1Fy physician to the queen"
In the course Of the morning he hi
occasion to leave the room, and found {
: his return that q, student had added
the announcement the words: