The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-12-19
Rolled spinaeh.

There is nothing in the poems Of
Wordsworth more pathetic thar the
following sonnet to Sleep:
A flock OF sheep that leisurely pass by
One after one; the sound OF ran and bees
Murmuring: the fall Of rivers, winds and
smooth Ssids; white sheets OF water. and
pure sky
I have thought Of all BY turns and yet to
sleepless. and soon the smali birds melo-
Must hear, irst uttered from my orchard
And the first cuckoo's melancholy cry.
Even thus last night and two nights
And could not win thee. sleep. BY any
So do net let me wear tonight away
Without thee what Is all the mornings
wealth? ? ~
Come blessed barrier between day and
Dear mother Of fresh thoughts and joy
u health.
The poet has evidently adopted the
theory that insomnia and its cure are
metaphysical, that sleeplessness results
from a perverted train OF thought and
that the cur for IL Is to pry the mind
out OF its rut by thinking of something
else.
That this is the philosophy OF most
cases OF insomnia Is manifest from the
single fact that as soon as a sleepless
person gives UP trying to sleep he be-
comes oyerpoweringly sleepy. 1t Is re-
lated as a great joke that a victim OF
insomnia complained that he had II so
bad hat he could not even sleep when
1t was thine to get up."
This Is laughable, blu 1t Is neverthe-
less q serious matter. 1t shows that
In the great majority Of cases insomnia
is the result OF permitting the mind
to get into certain states. the worst OF
which is a PURPOSE to fall asleep, and
that the cure for 1t is to get rid OF that
mental habit.
When a sleepless person cannot even
go to sleep when It IL time to get up"
II proves that the cause OF his inson-
MIA is not metaphysical. Some spicula
of bone may be pricking a nerve. or
rome diseased organ may be -t~orturing
fits adjacent nerve, or the brain or
nerves themselves nay be diseased and
representative, in that case there is no
use in thinking about sleep or rain or
bees. Help lies In the knife, the hyp-
motto drug or perhaps In hypnotic food.
This is where boiled spinach comes
In. 1t has been discovered that boiled
spinach or boiled cabbage, either one.
Is a remarkable temporary relief OF many
ordinary cases OF insomnia. whether
metaphysical or physical.
n 4lkA1 10 " y " "a Al AAC pOOhSe
Millspaugh's large and magniicently
illustrated volume on Medical Plants
which treats OF the medical properties
OF innumerable vegetables. plants and
nuts that are regular articles OF food,
has nothing to say about spinach and
cabbage. The hypnotic reputation OF
these two popular vegetables Is a mat
ter Of tradition and OF recent expert
ment.
1t is absurd 20 say that all persons
will be affected In a certain way by one
particular food or drug. The human
constitution exhibits many startling
tdiosyncrasies. There are people who
can eat calomel by the handful without
any effect and there have been non
infatuated people who swallowed sixty
grains OF morphine with perfect safety.
In like ann what Is n mans food
may be another mans poison.
With this ample reservation there
can be no danger In saying that IL Is
claimed on reliable authority that
boiled spinach or boiled cabbage, even
eaten four or five hours before bed
time, is a powerful hypnotic, more apt
to produce uncomfortable results from
oyersleeping than to fail In producing
sleep at all.
How II produces this erect is not
clear. It does not appear to disorder
any part OF the body and yet this IL not
certain.
It win do no victim OF insomnia n
harm to try a diet or spinach or cab
bage for q while and 1t may do him a
world of good.