Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-16
RIP VAN Wrinkles In LIFE
Many People Who Have Rivaled the
0utoast Of the Catskills.
DOCTORS PUZZLED BY LONG SLEEPS
Strange Cases I'm Flesh and Blood
Reported from All Parts of
the WorId-PecuIiar-
titles Noted.
DOCTORS PUZZLED BY LONG SLEEPS

Possibly the closest rival that Rip Van
Wrinkle has had in flesh and blood is Her
schell Order, who, at Rowena, KY, is
calmly enjoying a nap which began twelve
years ago.
When he went to sleep one day It was not
because of a convivial encounter with
gnomes of the wood. nor was his slumber
attended by any unusual circumstance. He
simply arose from the dinner table
stretched his arms, yawned and casually
remarked that he guessed he'd go and lie
down for about ten minutes But It ap-
pears that his conception of a minute was
all wrong
Fed liquid nourishment twice a day he
holds his own physically, his limbs remain
supple; he seems in no danger of dying
soon.
! His is but another strange case Of pro-
longed sleep. a queer malady. which. in
various forms, has puzzled the best physi-
clans of modern times. While history
seems to show no other continuous nap Of
the same duration, there are others as re-
markable in some respects.
Many Changes Noted.
1t would be an odd thing for a man to
! lose dozen years out of his life.
Think what It would mean to him. When
he went to sleep Grover Cleveland was
president OF the United States. How could
he grasp the fact that in the meantime a
president had been assassinated and that
another has taken his place?
| For the sake OF popular interest IL not
OF science. it would be interesting to see
| aged Mr.. Order awake, but the physicians
say It is quite unlikely that he ever will
unless he should experience brief con-
sciousness preceding death.
Seldom have victims of prolonged sleep
| ing been awakened. In Africa some mys-
terious element in the atmosphere or vege-
tation, spread by the bite of fly, causes
what is called sleeping sickness"
In once instance recently in the United
States a man did awake after a three
months sleep and what he told about his
experience in the Land OF Nod will prove
Of interest to science. He was William
Schnable, 80 years old who returned TO his
home in Philadelphia after having beer
injured on the head at Denver and a few
days afteTward fell into his long sleep.
When he awoke in the Philadelphia hos
pital he asked the nurse confusedly. lis 4
too late to go to work?" After while h,
recalled many things that had occurred
during his nap, but was unable to separat'
the actualites from his dreams
In another instance, reported by DR.. Scull
a specialist on the brain. a man of 2
awoke after having been asleep fifteeI
months. The first emotion be betrayed wal
anxiety about a field of oats which wa
Just sprouting when he went TO sleep. HI
was greatly astonished 10 learn that tn,
oats had been harvested and the same fielt
was then knee deep with corn. After coming
out Of his sleep he grew rapidly worse will
phthisis and died in eighteen months.
Nap Lasted Months.
The University OF Pennsylvania hospita
in Philadelphia some years ago furnishes
a curious case. that OF Clara Gilchrist.
victim Of hysteria, who took a nap lastinI
several months. She was finally arousei
by being beaten with wet towels and sooI
afterward returned to her home In IrelanI
apparently well
The form Of sleeping most often encoun
tered in America Is not associated by physi
clans with the African malady. II is be
lieved TO be caused usually by secretion II
the kidneys which gets into the blood an,
by acting on the white cOrpuseles create
sOmnolence,
Al interesting case is that OF a patien
who took nourishmeut, even sitting up Il
bed occasionally to drink a cup OF coffee
But throughout Il all there was no awaken
ing.
Even where no especial effects are notice.
II Is not uncommon for person 30 afiicta'
TO faI asleep in a chair or even standing n
al frequent intervals In this respect Pick
vickss Fat boy was no visionary character
When the trouble takes the form Of pro
ltonged snn1noIence IT IL attended by interest
ing phenomena- Tickling Of the feet apply
ing electricity. thrusting needles into tn