Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-06-25
DOCTORS ON SLEEP
What German Physicians Have Found
Out about INSOMNIA.

tFrom the Manchester GUARDIAN
The German Society for Internal Medl-
cine devoted the first day of this year
congress il. Wtesbaden to a discussion of
the character and treatment of sleeplei s.
ness. Before the question What is
Sleep" the various experts who present
ed papers all confessed their ignorance.
Ingenious suggestions have been made
without number; but not one has been
able to stand out against close examina-
ton. and the medical world Is in the end
as iRnoran as ever Little more can be
said than that sleep is a phenomenon Of
vital necessity: experiment has shown
that dogs die sooner when deprived Of
sleep than when deprived of food-a par
ticuarly horrible experiment Another
well recognized fact Is the varying inten-
sity of sleep. There Is not only the diff
ference between a light and heavy sleep
err 1t has been proved conclusivey that
the first hours of sleep are deeper than
the rest, and that with the length the
tendency to wake at any noise increa SEES
From this follows the recuperatve value
of the few first hours of deep sleep and
the explanation why men of great energy
Nirchow We're completely satisfied with
sleep Of from three to four hours. Re-
ference was made to the we'll marked di-
vision between the morning and evening
worker. The one after a short deep sleep
rises up fresh and ready for work The
other Is tired and weak in the morning
grows more active in the course Of tho
day stays UP late, and goes to sleep with
difficulty. This too. Is the tyne OF the
nervous man. who is generally most cap
able for work at night, and OF the melan-
choiker, who is gloomy and bad tenn
pered in the morning and happy only as
the day draws on.
The main conclusion of the congress IL
a ready made cure for sleeplessness. The
causes of sieepessness, Il was decided, are
almost innumerable, and an effectuai
remedy can only be found when each Is
treated individually. In the majority
Of cases II was recognized the cause Is a
nervous one; It is best met by hycienic
measures-by sensible regulation of the
daily life, by the removal of all possibi-
titles of irritation, and by hypnotic treat
ment. Sleep during the day it was said,
has often a very harmful effect on sleep
at night: in any case it should be short
Mountain and sea air is often deleterious,
owing to the unaccustomed strain placed
upon the heart. Mild warmth and often
long hot bath are OF assistance. Sleep-
lessness, Il was said Is often the result
OF bad habits. such as the elaborate toilet
practises by many ladies before going to
10 L..
may occasionally be Of assistance. but
In general II was condemned Patients
who 60 to sleep easily but wake up almost
at once are suffering. 1t was said. from
digestive troubles. and can generally be
cured through a change OF diet
Very often sleepy patient is startled
into complete wakefulness by the very
idea that he may not sleep. and the ner-
vous are generally kept awake through
excessive fear OF sleeplessness. In such
cases is Is important that the will should
be trained. or that at least II should be
assisted by suggestion. One doctor
strongly advised airbaths shortly before
going to bed. and said that much could
be done by uncovering part of the body
while in bed. The use of drugs, It was
sible. In any case they should be taken
in extremely small doses in order that
their effect should last only during the
actual process Of going to sleep Marco
tics. such as choroform and ether were
condemned AS heing too short in their
action besides having various injurious
effects
Three groups OF drugs were distinguish
ed. The first is characterized by the pre-
sencc of chlorin. Its main example Is
the well-known hydrochlorate Unfor-
this drug has a bad effect on
the heart and breathing. and can be dan
gerous to consumptives and those suffer
ing from a weak heart Further are par
adelhyd and amylenhydrate which are
very effectual but taste and smell unplea-
SAINT besides having undesirable effects
Of other kinds. Preferable to these are
the second group, marked particularly by
the quantity of nitrogen they contain.
Their best representatives are veronal
and luminal In large quantities they,
too. are injurious, since they are diff
cult to disgest. Finally. there is the group
containing sulphur, such as sulfonal,
trional and others. These. In their turn,
easily produce kidney troubles. and re-
ouire careful medical watching. One
doctor spoke of the result obtained
through the incubation with strophantin
In the case of patients with weak hearts
Another advised the use of small doses
Of alcohol. But 1t is clear. from the Con-
gress for Internal Medicine that the gold
EN- road to sleep has not been discovered |
Eight hundred and forty gallons OF |