Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-12
FLYING SENSATION
REMAINS MYSTERY
Or. AIes HrdIicka Believes
Phenomenon May Have
DiagnoStiC Value.

The common sensation Of rising or
living among children, and occasionally
adults, remains lone of the dark cor
rlerg of human experience" according to
DIR. Ales Hrdlicka, curator of physical
anthropology at the National Museum.
DIR. Hrdlicka recalled today that he
had made preliminary study OF the
phenomenon more than 80 years ago
and found 1t practically universal In
some form, ranging from heettng, bare
~ perceptible sensation to conscious
ness Of reality approaching halluctna.
Aaon, Since then, he says, the subject
apparently has been lost sight OF, all
though he believes it may have denim
tie diagnostic value when better under
stood.
From his early study, DR.. Hrdlicka
said. he came to the conclusion that
both the dreaming and waking ser1sa-
fions were due to a disturbance IN the
blood circulation in the central nervous
system. and that the waking experience
IN particular was the same sort Of hap
pening as dizziness without the accom-
panying nausea. 1t seemed 70 arise most
frequently, he said, from combination
of q visual disturbance and disordered
stomach. accompanied by some sugges-
tive feature of the environment, such a.
wind-blown snow and by the proper
state Of emotional exaltation.
Rare Among Adults.
'sThis experience" he said. 'is found
among healthy children, particularly
under q temporary digestive disturbance.
Among normal adults unless they are
extremely tired, it Is very rare and IN
soune cases lacking entirely. We md
the motor sensations of falling, rising,
living. swinging, jumping and soaring
as If on wings usually without any dis
agreeable associated feeling"
Among adults, he said, 1t Is fairly
common in neurasthenic states and he
sound it especially frequent ana pro-
individual, he pointed out, usually has
only one type of these Sem1-hauuct-
Datory experiences.
Is Is possible, DR.. Hrdlicha said, that
such experiences may be the f1rSt signs
Of q more or less serious Illness, epe-
cialIy where they are pronounced ana
repeated. The subject may not have
begun to feel Ill, but there are poison
Gus substances In the blood stream
which are beginning to make them
selves felt in the central nervous Sys-
lem.
"I should not be surprised, for ex-
ample, to find them as early signs Of
typhoid fever" he said. The poison may
be overcome before 1t ends In illness,
but the sensation means that something
has gone wrong.
In aggravated and recurring cases,
he said, there seems to be q relation
10 epileptic vertigo and possibly other
@pileptic borderline conditions. They
may be Q sort of psychical epilepsy
without the physical accompaniment.
Some cases, DR.. Hrd1icka said, appear TO
involve q psychtc-visual disturbance,
the subject seeming to stand aside and
zee himself flying, although entirely
conscious that the physical body Is not
moving at all.
DR.. Hrdlicka now b bringing TO q
conclusion an extensive study Of the
curious physical behavior Of children
anvolving such things a. walking on all
fours and climbing trees In qladruped
rather than human fashion, which, he
says, apparently has entirely escaped
the attention Of science, although such
experiences are fairly common. The
flying delusion, he holds, belongs In the
same class of obscure subjects.
The flying or falling dream, DR.. Hrd-
Acka holds, - closely related to the