SOMNAMBULISM AND CRAMP,

BA R O N R E I C H E N B A C H .

TRNSLAT ED FR
A M TH
O E GER N
MA

J OHN S . HI T T EL L .

33 9m gum :
P U BL I S HED BY CA L V IN B L A NC
7 6 NAS S AU S T REET .
ENT ERED , Act o f Congress in t he year 1 860 by J OHN
accord ing t o , ,

S Hm m in t he Clerk s Offi ce o f t he D is t ri ct Court o f t he

’
.
,

United S tate s fo r t he Northern D i stri ct o f Cal i fornia .

L . HAU S ER Printer
, , 8 North W ill iam S treet New Y ork
,
.
 CONT ENT S .

TRANS LAT ORS INT ROD U CT ION

’

AU T HORS P RE F ACE
’

T he aim investi gat ions

of his
T he Author s Opportuni ty t o study som nam buli sm
’

P ART I .

SOMNAMBIlLl SM o r Pm sm w m cu 0 1m m .

CH AP T E R I .

G E NER AL DEV E LOP M EN T OF SO M N AM BU LI S M .

T he beg innings .

S peaking in dream s t he first s i gn o f som nam buli sm

S i tting u p in bed t he second s i gn
,

T he som nam buli st gets o ut o f be d and w orks '

S om nam buli sm proper

F am iliari ty in som nam buli sm
S om nam buli c prophe cy
A m oonli ght w alk in a ni ght gow n
S om nam buli sm pos s i bl e in robust heal th
P re m oni tory sy m ptom s
T rans i ti on t o so m nam buli s m
D i fference be tween sl eep and so m nam bulism
Aw akening from so m nam bu l ism

25 6 7 7 6
IV CONT ENT S .

CH AP T E R II .

EXT ERN AL C A USES OF SO MNAMBU LI S M .

necessary
S ens i t iveness
Coolnes s favorabl e
S om nam bu li m caused by negat ive 0 d
s

By e lectrici ty
By organi c substances
By plants
By hum an cd
F ingers under toes
By blow ing
By t h e glan ce

By sunshine , &c

CHAP T E R III .

EXTERNAL I NFLUENCES W H I CH D I S T URB S OMNALB UL IC

SLEEP .

Q 27 Ho w t o p revent som nam buli sm

.

é 28 Ho w t o aw aken som nam buli ts

.
s

Q 29 T he shock from a pe rs on departing

.

g 3 0 S om na
. m b ulis m an o d negat ive state o f t he nerva
-

CH AP T ER IV .

CR AM P .

31 . What is pos iti ve cond i tion ?

t he o d -
38

a3 2 . Cram p com m on t o sens itives 3 8 —3 9

a3 3 . Cram p caused by m a nets g 3 9 —4 2

Q 34 . By s itting w i th back t o t he west 42

 CON TENT S . V

. 42
By m etal s 43 —44
By crow ds 44—45
By light 45
By upw ard pass es 45—48
By t he pec uliar od i c infl uence o f ind ivi duals 48 — 50
By m en tal exci te m ent 50 — 52
By obstru ct ions t o t he flo w o f 0 d 52— 53
By like od i c pairings 53 — 54
By all o d posi t ive s o ret ic infl uences
-
54 —55
Cram ps cured by ne m e t ic cd negat ive infl uences
-
. 55— 57
S om nam buli sm an d cram p are Oppos i te od i c cond i
ti ons o f t he nervous system 57 —58

CH AP T E R V .

SO MNAM BU LI S M AND CR A MP IN C ONJ UNC TI ON .

a47 . occurrin g together in

T he t w o the hu m an bod y .

Q 48 . Both caused by touch

Q 49 . By passes
g 50 . By m agnets
g 51 . By green li ght

CHAP T E R V I .

T HE MU T U AL REL ATI ONS OF SO M N AM BU LI S M AND CR AMP .

Q52 T h e i r
. infl uence o n each other
Q 53 . Cram p s cause d by sli ght s o re t ic influence s
Q 54 . By surcharge o f 0 d
g 55 . By p art pas ses
-

Q 56 . By passe s ov er t he re curr ent nerves

Q 57 . By slow passes
Q 58 . S oundness o f som nam buli c sl ee p
Q 59 . S om nam buli sm under act ive od i c influences
Q GO .
VI C ONT E NTS .

Infl uen ce of pos ition in sl eep 7 8 —7 9

7 9 —8 2
D uration o f som nam buli c sl eep 83
S om nam bul ism fo r w om en an d cram p fo r m en 83 —84
P eri od i city
T em pe rature o f t h e bod y 8 5—8 6
8 6—88

CH AP TER VII .

THE CO ND ITI ON OF T HE S ENSES .

Hearing at t he pi t o f t he stom ach

Hearing in t he han d
Od i c hearin g at t he stom ach
T aste .

S i ght .

S ee ing w i th t h e eyes shut

E xplanat ion o f se e ing w i thout eyes
Hgh sens i ti ves have a sens e fo r cd
i -

V is ion cl earest in darkness

M i s s Atzm an ns do rfe r s state m ent
'

M iss K rueger s state m ent

’

S ci ent ifi c e xplanat i on o f ordi nary vis i on

Clairvoyance brought under natural laws
S ee ing into t he hum an bo d y
Dange rous revelati ons by clairvoyance
S u m m ary abo ut cla irvoyance

CHA P T E R V III .

T HE M USCLES IN CR AMP .

Q 87 . Cram p an unvoluntary contraction

a88 . S everi ty o f strain
 CONTE N TS . VII

Q 89 .

Q 9 0 S um
. m ary

CH AP T ER IX .

T HE N E RVE S IN SO M N AMB U LIS M .

No t wo cas es o f som nam bulism alike

Case s o f catal epsy
Infl uence o f t he two nervous system s
Col d water go od fo r cram ps
W eak aci ds also benefici al

But painful in t he trunk

Nerves o f sensat i on an d mot i on
T he odic thrill
T he thrill o f cram p
T he od i c waves o f som nam bulism an d c p co m

1 28—1 3 0

P ART 11 :

AND CRAMP OF PHYSIOLo G lCAL

ORIG IN .

CH AP T ER X .

NTRODUC TI ON
I .

3 1 02 E xpl anatory remarks

. 1 3 1 —1 3 2
a1 03 S omnam bulism an d cram
. p caused by t l
m en a ex

cite m en t . 13 2 —
13 4
VI II CON T E NT S .

CHAP T E R X I .

T HE I NF L U ENCE OF SENSUOUS IMPRESS I ONS .

S ensi t ive avers ion t o m onotony

W aving grain fields -

Revol v ing w agon w hee l s

W ate rfall s
Hopping o f a caged bird
S w in g o f a pend ulum
Change o f w ork
S tand ing an d knee l ing

S um m ary

CHAP T E R X II .

INF L UE NCES OF MENTA L A C TI V ITY .

CH AP T E R XIII .

INFLU E NC E S OF T HE F E EL I NGS A FF E C TI ONS AND DES IRES

, .

1 51 — 1 52
g1 1 6 . S en s i t ive wom en usually virtuous 1 52
é 117 . G ri e f 1 52—1 54
Q 1 18 . M ental depress i ons al tering t he od i c e m anat ions 1 54—1 57 .

M oral suflering causes an o d pos i tive d isturbance

'

51 1 9
-
.

o f t he od i c equ ili bri um .

1 57
a1 20 . V e xat ion an d anger 1 58 1 60 .
-

é 1 21 V i ol ent exci te m ent w eaken ing od i c pe rce pt io n 160 H

a1 22 V ent ing anger a re li ef fo r od i c illness 1 6 2— 1 6 3

 CON TENTS .

Cram ps caused by fri ght

By outcri es
Odi c perce pti on weakened by fri ght
Cram p caused by j eal ousy
By laughing
By jo y
By surpri se
By m ental excitem ent
By e m otions o f m em ory
By em ot ions in dream s
S um m ary

CH AP T E R XI .

ME NTA L E XALTATI ON IN SO M N AMB ULI S M .

§ 13 4 . Od i c perception acute as sens it iveness i s high 1 7 4— 1 7 5

§ 13 5 . S om nam bu li c prophe cy 1 7 5—1 7 6
é l36 . F alse som nam buli c pred i ct ion 1 7 7— 1 7 8

a1 3 7 . Od generated by m uscular force 1 78— 1 80

al as . Ex peri m ent w ith a mirror .

1 8 0 — 1 82
D r B lass control o ver M i ss B eyer 1 8 2— 1 83
’

é l3 9 . .

a14o . Other e xperi m ents with M i ss B eyer 1 83 — 1 8 5

§ 1 41 . T h e author gets control o f M i ss Be y er 1 8 5— 1 8 7

§ 1 42 . T he som nam bulist does n o t confound h er co n s cie n

t io u s nes s w i th that o f t he op erator 1 8 7 — 18 8

51 43 . T he establi shed facts o f cla irvoyance 188—1 9 1

§ 1 44 . S om e g eneral re m arks o n clairvoyance 1 9 1 —1 9 2

al 4s . A clairvoyant prophecy by M i ss Re i che l 1 9 2—1 9 3
Q 1 46 . Pred i ct ions by other som nam bulists 1 9 3 —1 9 5
a1 47 . L i m its o f objecti ve clairvoyance 1 9 5— 1 9 7
M i ss W e ig an d s ce lest ial revel at i ons 1 9 7— 1 9 9
’

é 1 48 .

§ 1 49 . Cl a irvoyant read ing t h e thought o f others

s
1 9 9 — 20 1
41 50 . M i s s Re i chel fri ghtene d by an i m a inary d o g
g . 201 — 20 2
a1 51 Cl airvoyants n o t hearing when spoken t o 20 2— 20 3
é 1 52 . Cla irvoyance no t nece ssaril y be l ong ing t o s o m n am
bulis m 203 — 20 4
X C O NTE NTS .

é l 53 Acuteness o f
. odi c p erce ption an d som nam bulism
Oppos i te states 204— 20 5
a1 54. A blow at t he m aterialists 20 6— 209

CH AP T E R XV

SO ME PE CU LIAR MENTAL COND ITI ONS OF SO MN AM BULI S TS .

Drowsiness
T h e som nam buli c consci ousness
T he Author s first v i s i t t o M i ss G ir t ler
’

T houghtfulness o f M rs Lederer
.

T ruthfulness o f M iss Zinkel

Attent i on in som nam buli sm
Aw aking from som nam bu l ism
M i ss Atzm an ns d o rfer an d her linen
T he cl ear consci ousness o f som nam buli s m
S om nam bulis m d iffers from com m on slee p onl y in

a1 65 T
. houing

CH AP T E R XV I .

S TATE OF T HE MEM ORY IN SO MN AMB ULIS M .

Re coll ecti on o f occurrences during sl ee pw aking 226— 228

.

D lfle m n t state s o f M i ss G irt le r s m e m ory

’

228
M em ory be tter in som nam buli sm than in norm al
cons ci ousnes s 228 — 229
T h e i d eas o f o n e som nam buli c fi t follow ed u p in
t he ne xt
M ain facts abo ut s om nam buli c m em ory
U pri ghtness and vanity
 C ONTE N T S . XI

CH AP T ER XV II .

—
T HE N AT URE OF S OMNAM ULISM .

a1 7 2.C o -e xistent negat ive an d pos i tive 0 d 23 4—23 5

c i nfl uences treasure d up in t he n em et ic s tate 23 5
a1 7 3.S o re t i 23 6
6 1 74. Why sl eepwalkers clam ber o ut o n roofs 23 6— 23 7
Q 1 75. W eak s o ret ic irri tations causing activi ty 23 7— 23 9
§ 1 7 6 Conclus i on
.
23 9
T RANS LAT ORS AP P E NDIX
’
241 —253
 TRANSLAT ORS INT RODUCT ION
’
.

T HE following tr e atis e fir s t publish e d in t h e S an

,

F rancisc o H om e Journal and h e r e giv e n as a distinct

,

book was writt e n by t h e Author as portion o f a v e ry

, ,

l o ng work o f 1 6 00 clos e ly print e d o ctavo page s e n

, ,

titl e d D er s ens i tive M ens ch and s ei n Ver halten zu m

Ode ( T h e s e nsitiv e Man and his r e lation t o Od ) Thi s .

work is so larg e that I will not und ertak e t o translat e

t h e whol e o f it unl e ss I r e c e iv e som e e ncourag e m e nt
,

dur in g t h e co urs e o f my labors and fo r t h e pur pos e o f

,
"

invit ing such e n co ur agm e n t and showing my abi lity

t o p e rform t h e labor 1 now submit t o t h e public a
,

v e rsion o f t h e chapt e rs in S omnamb ul ism and Cramp

“ ”
,

comm e ncing in t h e G e rman e di ti o n ( S t u t t g ar d and

Tubing e n 1 8 55) at pag e 546 o f t h e s e cond V olu m e and
e nding at pag e 7 0 2 b e ing about o n e t e nth o f t h e tr e a

t is e on T he s ens i tive M an N 0 part o f this work h as

.

b ee n publish e d in E nglish by any o n e sav e mys e lf .

’
F or t h e cl e ar und e r s tanding o f R e ich e nbach s r e
marks o u S omn ambulism and Cramp t h e r e ad e r should
be familiar with his Od ie M agne ti c L e t ters wh ich hav e
-
,

h e r e tofor e b ee n translat e d by m e and publish e d in

E nglish ; but fo r fe ar that th o s e L et ter s may no t be
’
within t he r e ad e r s r e ach at t h e tim e w h e n h e may
wish t o tak e up this b o o k I submit a bri e f abstract
,

o f t h e main principl e s s e t fo rth in t h e m .

 ’
XIV TR ANSLAT OR S INTRODUC TI ON .

Od is a forc e in na t ur e hith erto unknown . It is

aki n t o t h e gr e at natu ral forc e s o f light h e at elect r i , ,

city magn e ti sm ch e mical aflini t y e t c Th e s e w e r e

, , ,
.

“
form e rly call e d im pond e rabl e substanc e s but that
n am e i s n o w aband o n e d for t h e b e tt e r and mor e co r
“
r ect o n e o f natural forc es ”
Od p e rvad es t h e whol e
.

un i v e rs e and radiate s o u t from e v e ry particl e o f mat

,

t e r but it is e qually distribute d

,
W h e r e v e r th e r e i s
.

magn e t is m h e at el ectricity fricti o n motion ch e mical

, , , , ,

action o r putr e facti on o d i s acti v e ly d e v e l o p e d o r

, , ,

conc e ntrate d and it may be pe rv e iv e d u nd e r favorabl e

,

c ircumstanc es It is a p e culiarity o f 0 d that n o t ev e ry

.
,

b o dy can p e rc e iv e it Acute o di c p e r ce ption is com

.

p a r a t i v e ly rar e its po s s e ssi o n is c al l e d s e ns iti v e n e s s ,

o r odic s e ns itiv e n es s and i t s poss es sors ar e s tyl e d s en

,

s i t iv e s . T h e marks o f s ensitiv e n e s s ar e num e rous but ,

t h e main on e s ar e natural s o m nambuli sm and r eadi ,

n e s s t o fall asl e e p un d e r m e sm e ric influe nc e Th e se .

ar e two infallibl e signs o f high s e nsi tiv e n e s s Inab ility .

t o sl ee p o n t h e l e ft sid e disl ik e o f y e llow c o lors fond

, ,

n e ss for b lu e dislik e o f fatty di e t pr e fe r e nc e fo r

, ,

s lightly s our v ictuals and di s co mfort in crowds ar e

, ,

o th e r indi cations .

Wh e n o d is activ ely d e v e l o p e d as by magn e t ism it , ,

radiat e s o u t from t h e g e n e rato r and a high s ensitiv e

can s ee t h e rays in t h e dark bu t not in t h e light T h e , .

o di c ray s s e e n in t h e dark r e s e mbl e a light sm ok e

o r a misty flam e Thus if a high s e nsitiv e be confin e d

.
,

in a p e rfe ctly dark room till his ey e s have had tim e

to accust o m th e ms elv e s to t he darkn e ss and a horse ,

sho e magn e t be th e n h eld wi th its points up wards , ,

b e for e him h e will s e e a mi s ty flam e risin g from e ach

,

po l e He will s e e similar mis ty fl am es fr o m t he e nds

.
 ’
TR ANSLATOR S I NT RODUC TI ON . xv

of quartz crystals from t h e e nds o f wir e s o f which t h e

,

o th e r e nds ar e rubb e d fil e d h e at e d e xpos e d t o s un , , ,

light co nn e ct e d with galvani c batt e ri e s e t c T h e odic

, , .

radiati o n may by fe lt as w ell as s ee n If t h e s e nsitiv e .

put his hand n e ar to t h e points o f t h e magn e t crystal ,

o r wir e h e wi ll fee l a s e nsati on as o f a littl e br e ath

, , ,

blowin g again s t his hand and h e wi ll fe e l t h e sam e

kind o f a littl e br e ath from a human hand ; for ( th e
human b o dy in which ch e m ical action is con s tantly
,

o dic s e nsa

tion s may be p e rc e iv e d in oth e r e r s by t h e o t h e r ,

n e rv e s but w e h av e n o t Sp ac e h e r e t o e xplain th e s e
,

points fully .

Od lik e magn e tism el e ctricity and light h as tw o

, , ,

pol e s T h e high s e n s itiv e looking car e fully at t h e

.

misty flam e s arising from t h e magn e t s ee s that t h e ,

rays from t h e north pol e are blu e ish and from t h e ,

s outh pol e y e llowish T h e point o f a quartz crystal

,
.

giv e s o u t a blu e light t h e bas e giv e s o u t r ed di sh o r

,

y e llowi sh rays This di s tin ction o f colors is owing t o

.

t h e di ffe r e nt odic pol e s t h e point o f t h e cry s tal and

t h e north pol e o f t h e magn e t ar e o d n e gati ve t he -

s outh pol e o f t h e magn e t and t h e bas e o f t h e crys t al

o d positiv e (T h e human body h as i t s o dic p o l e s also

-
.

t h e right sid e is n e gativ e t h e l e ft positiv e L ik e pair

ings as t h e pr e s e ntation o f an o d po sitiv e pol e o f a
,
, ,

-
"
strong o d g e n e rator t o t h e positiv e l e ft sid e o f a high
-

s e nsitiv e produc e s un pl e asant s e n s ations whi l e an o d

, ,

n e gativ e pol e will caus e an agr ee abl e fee ling T h us .

t h e point o f a quartz crystal and t h e north po le of a ,

ngt an d t h e r igh t h um am hand ar e all o d n e ga

m
a g
-
h fl ,

tiv e and all caus e a pl e asant coolish s e nsation wh e n

, ,

pr es e nte d t o t h e positiv e l e ft hand of a s e nsitiv e whil e ,

 ’
xv r TR ANS LAT OR S INTRODUC TI ON .

if th e y ar e pr e s e nt e d t o t he n egative right hand th ey ,

will cause a luk e war m disa gr ee abl e fee l ing E v e ry .

thin g that give s o u t a blu e ish o dic light is o d n e ga ,

-

ti v e and cool to t h e l e ft sid e o f t h e s e nsitiv e and l uke ,

war m t o t h e right sid e whil e e v e rythin g giv in g o u t

a r e ddish light is cool t o t h e right and un pl e a s ant t o
t h e l e ft

L igh t h as its o w n polarity o f color blu e at o n e e n d

o f t h e sp e ctrum r e d at t h e o th e r
,
and t he o d g e n e r
at e d by light h as its pol e s also t h e blu e ray s ar e o d
n e gativ e t h e r e d ray s o d positiv e
,
-
Wh e n t h e p o sitiv e
.

and n e gativ e r e d and blu e odi c rays m ee t as s ee n in

,

t h e dark th e y d o n o t ann i hilat e o r n e utraliz e e ach

, ,

oth e r but th e y uni te an d form a purplish flam e

, .

Th e r e is an o di c polarity in t h e ch e mical e l em e nts

tak e n as a whol e oxygen b e ing t h e most s t rongly o d
n e gativ e , and potassium t h e s trong e s t o d positiv e -
.

T h e strong e r t h e aflin it y for oxyg e n t h e s t rong e r t h e

,

o dic positi v e n e ss In thi s way t h e e l e m e nts hav e b ee n

.

rang e d in what is call e d t h e o d ch e mical ord e r which

-
,

corr e sponds pr e cis ely wi th t h e e l e ctr o ch emical ord e r

fixe d afte r by long study by Be rz e lius and o th e r ch e
,

Wh e re v e r th e r e is putr e faction th e r e is o dic radia

,

tion ; and R e iche nbach suppo s e s t h e vul gar b e li e f that

ghosts are s e e n in grav e yards to hav e aris e n fro m t h e
,

fact th at high s e nsitiv e s passing grav eyards in v e ry

dark ni ghts saw t h e odic lights ov e r n e w grav e s
, ,

wh e r e t he bodi e s w e re putr e fying He also suppos e s

.

th at t h e all e ge d wond e r o f wat e r fi n din g is caus e d by

-

c e rtain odic s e nsation s felt by high s e nsitiv e s wh e n

walking ov e r subte rran e an curr e nts o f wate r t h e
 ’
xvm TR ANSLATO R S I N T RODUC TI ON .

t he r e a d e r b efor e comm e ncing t o r e ad t h e body o f t he

,

bo o k may hav e a g e n e ral id e a o f its cont e nts

,
.

And fir s t in r egard t o t h e ph e n o m e na o f S o m n am
bulis m
S o mnambulism is a p e culiar abn o rmal m e ntal fit o r ,

te mpor ary c o ndition wh e r e in man l o s e s his normal

,

co nscio usn e s s and g e ts an o th e r abn o rm al o n e an d be ,

com e s a di ffe r e nt p e rs o n with a n ew m e m o ry powe r s

, ,

o f p e rc e pti o n and mod e s o f th o ught and action

, So m .

n am bulis m is o f t w o kinds natural o r s p o ntan e ous and

, ,

artifici al o r m e sm e ric T h e fo rm e r occur s un e xp e ct e d

.

ly and oft e n away without havi ng b ee n disc o v e r e d ,

t h e n o rmal m e mory b e ing ignor ant o f t h e occurr e nc e

o f t h e sl ee p waking fit as w e ll as t h e acts don e in it
-
, .

So m nambulism rar e ly o cc u rs in a solitary fit but hav ,

ing once mad e its app e aranc e in a p e rs o n r e curs agai n

,

an d again and if t h e fi t s be sh o rt th e y o ft e n r e cur at

, ,

r e gular inte rvals as a particular hour ev e ry d ay T h e

, .

li abi lity to s omnambul ism s e e ms t o be a phy s ical af

fe cti o n ; it o fte n c o m e s o n ab o ut t h e ag e o f pub e rty ,

o r during sickn e ss and disapp e ar s wh e n t h e fram e

,

g e ts its full growth an d t h e n e rv e s ar e str e ngth e n e d

by e x e rcis e and h e alth It has b ee n Ob s e rv e d that t h e
.

te nd e ncy t o sl ee pwalking s e ems t o be h e r e di tary in

c e rtain fam ili e s if o n e child in a house h e a s o m n am
bul is t t h e oth e rs will be liabl e t o t h e s am e a ffe ction
, .

T h e fits o f spontan e ous somnambulism may occur at

any tim e during sl ee p o r during normal waking and
, ,

if in t h e latte r condition during lab or o r conv e rsa ,

tion whil e standing sitting o r walking A p e rson

, , .

onc e subj e ct t o it is n e v e r s e cur e from its attack s T h e .

tr ansition from normal walking to somnambul ism and

from t h e latt e r to t h e form e r s tat e ar e o fte n almost
 ’
TR A NSL AT OR S I N TRODUC TI ON . xxx

inst antan eo u s an d occur with o ut an y p e rc e ptibl e ex

,

te rnal caus e s M es m e ric so mn ambulism is v e ry much

.

like t h e s pontan e ous but is brought o n inte ntionally

,

by m e sm e ric tr e atm e nt .

In somnambulism t h e s ens e s ar e o fte n dormant T h e .

e y e s ar e clos e d and wh e n t h e lid s ar e forc e d op e n t h e

,

iris is fo und t o be t urn e d upwards in a sin gular po s i

tion T he r e tina s ee ms t o be ins e nsibl e fo r t h e pupil
.
,

do es n o t contract an d e nlarg e in proportion to t h e

str e ngth o f t h e light T he e ar is ordinarily d e af
. .

L oud s udd e n and un exp ecte d nois e s s uch as t h e dis

, ,

charg e o f pistols at t h e e ar d o not c aus e t h e s o m n am

bulis t t o s tart T h e n o s e d o e s n o t s ee m t o p e rc e iv e
.

t h e s trong e st pung e nt odors s uch as that o f ammonia ,

.

T h e n e rv e s o f touch conv e y n o s e ns e o f pain P inch .

ing pricking and cutting d o n o t disturb o r wak en t h e

,

somnambulist .

Although t h e n e rv es o f s e ns e app e ar t o hav e lost

th e ir fu nctions during somnambulism ye t t h e s o m n am ,

bulis t is n o t without m e an s o f p e rc eption He s ees .

with his ey e s clos e d in darkn e s s as w e ll as in day

,

light S om e tim e s h e poss e ss e s a clairvoyant pow e r

.
,

and s e e s and h e ar s e v e nts occurring far from him in

plac e s hidd e n from him by num e rous wall s o r b uild
ings He s ees through Opaqu e substanc es ; can r e ad
.

s e al e d l e tte rs and look in to his o w n b o dy and t h e bo

,

di e s o f oth e r s can r ead th e ir thoughts ; and can e v e n

for e s ee t h e fe r t an s particular ly in r e gard t o his o w n
,

T he somnambulist r e m e mb e r s all t h e impr e ss i o n s

made upon his mi nd whil e in somnambulism and al so ,

thos e made during normal consciousne ss and e v e n thos e ,

mad e in t h e latte r s tat e but forgotte n an d e nti r e ly

,
 xx TR ANSLAT OR S IN T RODUC TI ON
’
.

b ey o nd t h e r each o f t h e wak ing m e mory Thu s cas es .

hav e occurr e d o f s o m nambulists in matur e age sp e ak

ing flue ntly in tongue s which th ey h ad known in chi ld
hood b ut afte rwards for want of practic e compl e te ly
, , ,

forgott e n fo r a scor e o f y e ars T he somnambulist .

,

wh e n awak e do e s n o t r e m e mb e r t h e impr e ssions mad e

,

o n his m i nd in s lee pw ak iii g and th e r e for e his m e mory

,

in t h e abnormal is muc h mor e compr e h e n s iv e t h a n in

,

t h e normal state .

T he condition o f t h e mi nd in s o mn ambuli s m vari e s

gr e atly in di ffe r ent cas es S om e s le epw aker s talk in
.

an unconn e c t e d mann e r as if in san e o r monomani ac

,

but most act in a thoughtfu l manne r and sp e ak mor e ,

int ellig e ntly than wh e n awak e Th e y walk r e ad .

, ,

work talk jok e and laugh lik e oth e r p e rsons If

, , , .

alon e th e y talk to t h ems elv e s ; if in company th e y

, ,

talk t o oth e rs S omnamb ulists ar e fond o f g e tting

.

o u t into t h e m o onlight and for that purpos e wi ll ,

clambe r o u t at night upon ro o fs going in dang e rous ,

plac e s wh e r e t h e y would n ev e r v e ntur e awak e and

, ,

wh e r e t h e brav e st m e n accusto m e d to climb about o n

,

buildings woul d disli k e t o follow If oppositi on be

, .

mad e to t h e somnambuli s t going o u t upon t he roof t h e ,

latte r will som e tim e s insist d e clar e that th e r e is no ,

dange r and g o into a paroxysm o f rag e if pr e v e nte d ,

o r show sup e rnatural str e ngth in br e aking down bar

r icr s
, o r br e aking away from p e rsons holding him .

S om e somnambulists d o n o t s e e m to think muc h o f

dr e ss particularly w h e n th e y hav e n o t be e n in that
,

s tat e o ft e n and hav e n o t sp e nt much tim e whil e som

,

n am bulic in company
; t h us most sl e e pwalk e rs go o u t
in th e ir nigh t gowns .

Wh er e so m n am bulism is cause d by m es m e ric tr ea t

 T RANS LAT ORs
’
I NTRODUC TI ON . xxx

m ent t h e somnambul ist is in communication w ith t h e

,

m e sm eriz e r and h e ars him and s ee s him whi l e appa

, ,

r e n t ly not h e aring or s e e ing any ot h e r p e rson no mat ,

t e r h o w many th e r e may be in t h e room He is also .

, ,

t o a gr e at e xt e nt und e r t h e influ e nc e o f t h e m es m e r i
,

ze r and will act and form opinions in accordanc e wi th

‘
,

t h e dir e ctions o f t h e latt e r in a s t r an g e ma n n e r Wh e n .

t h e m e sm e riz e r sugg e sts an id e a t h e somnambul ist s

’
,

mind s ee ms t o be e ntir e ly occupi e d by it S om e tim e s .

it happ e ns that t h e spontan e ous somn ambuli st g e ts into

a m e ntal communication with anoth e r p e rson and ,

s tands to him in t h e sam e r e lation as t h e m e sm e ric

s omnamb ulist t o t h e m e s m e riz e r If t h e sl ee pwak e r is

.

not in communication with anybody th e n accid e nt ,

s e e ms t o sugg e s t c e rtain id e a s which occupy his mind,

to a s e e ming exte nsion o f oth e r impr e ss ions It ofte n .

happ e ns that t h e id e as dominant in o n e fit ar e tak e n

up again in t h e n e xt o n e and so o n Thu s a lady ,
.
,

may comm e nc e knittin g a pur s e whil e so m n ambulic ,

and work at it during a numb e r o f s ucc e ssiv e fits put ,

~

ting it away car e fully b e for e awaking alway s co m ,

m e n cin g m e thodically wh e r e t h e work w as pr e v iously

abandon e d and ne v e r knowin g anything o f it wh e n

,

awak e .

T h e mind in so m namb ul i s m is o r di narily j oyo us and

j o cos e in mood t h e car es o f e v e ryday life b e ing for
,

gotte n T h e sl ee pw ak e r in soci e ty n e gl e c t s many o f

.

t h e littl e customary conv e nti o nal c e r em oni es and is ,

fami liar but k ee p s within t h e bounds o f d e c e ncy and

,

propri e ty .

T h e somnambulist e ats drinks and p e rform s t he

, ,

ordinary duti e s o f life v e ry much as in normal con

s cio us n es s T he mind is oft e n as cl e ar and q uick in
.
 ’
xx II TRA NS LATOR S IN TRODUC TI ON .

so mn amb ulism as in waki ng ho urs ; and o f m an y s o m

n am bulis t s ,
it is sai d that th e y show mor e wit as l ee p
than awak e .

S uch ar e t h e main featur es o f s o mn ambuli s m as r e ,

port e d by a gr e at num be r of w rit e rs T he ph e nom en a .

ar e v e ry diffe r e nt in di ffe r e nt p e rso ns s carc e ly any ,

t w o cas es b e ing alik e T h e clairv o yant po w e r and eu

.

e rn o rm al p e rc e p t ion ar e look e d upon as m e r e fictions

p
by many physiologists e sp e cially tho s e who hav e n ev
,

e r had e u opport unity t o o bs e rv e thi s rar e and w o n

d er ful abnormal condi t ion .

No w fo r R e ich e nb ach s expl an ati o ns o f t h e s o m n am

’

bulic ph e nom e na .

In p e rfe ct h e alth t he human b o dy is p e rvade d by

o d in a stat e o f e quilibrium T h e p e rso n in whom th at .

e q uilibrium is ste ady an d n o t e asily distur b e d i s a ,

n o n s e nsi tiv e ; h e whos e o dic e quilibrium is uns te ady

-

is a s e ns itiv e Only s e nsitiv es ar e liabl e to s o m n am

.

bu lis m which is a dis t urb e d odi c stat e wi th n e gativ e

, ,

o d pr e dominant S omnambulism is caus e d on l y by o d

.

n e gativ e in flu e nc e s s uch as d o wn ward pas s e s in t h e

,

m e sm e ric styl e by t h e odic radiati on from t he n orth

,

po l e o f a mag n e t o r t h e po i n t o f a quartz crystal and

it is cur e d o r pr ev e nte d by o d po s itiv e influen ce -
,

s uch as upwar d pas se s t h e south point of t h e magn e t

,
,

t h e b ase o f a crys t al e t c , .

As so m namb ul ism is t h e o d n e ga t iv e s t ate o f t h e -

n e rvous syst e m s o cramp is t h e o d p o siti v e state

, t he
-

influ e nc e s which c aus e t he o n e will cur e t he oth e r .

Both stat e s b egin and e n d with odic n e rvous thrills ,

which in t h e be ginn ing o f so mnambulism and e n d o f

,

cramp fal l fr o m t h e h e ad t o t h e fe e t and at t he en d

, ,

o f somnambulic fi t s and be gin ni ng of cramps rise from

 ’
TR A NS LAT OR S I NT RODUC TI ON . xx III

t he fee t t o t h e h ead T h e t w o o pp o sit e o dic conditions

.

'

o ft e n occur t og e th e r n e gativ e an d positiv e o d d o not

n e utraliz e e ach oth e r wh e n th ey m ee t in t h e h u man
body H igh s en s itiv e o ft e n s omnambulic inv ariably
.
, ,
'

s u fl e r much w ith cramp .

R e ich e nbach afte r gi ving a numb e r o f instanc es in

,

wh ich h e has wi tn es s e d cla ir v o y anc e s giv es a th e ory ,

t o e xplain tha t s ingul ar pow e r He s ay s t h e wh o l e

.

n e rv ous‘ s yst e m o f a high s e nsitiv e p e rc e iv es t h e o dic ,

r ays as t he eye do e s t h e light r ays and th er efor e

, ,

t h e cl air v o y ant can s ee by t h e d ic p e rc e p t ion alm o st

p , ,

as w ell with o u t t h e u s e o f t h e ey e s as with th e m As .

t h e o dic ray s hav e n o in s ulat o r but pass through all

” “
s ubstanc e s s o e v e rything is
, dio d an o u s o r p e rm e abl e ,

t o t h e o dic ray s and cons e qu ently transluc e nt t o t h e

,

n e r v e s o f acut e o dic p e rc e ption Thus t h e hi gh s en .

s i t iv e und e r favorabl e condition can s ee int o and

, ,

through t h e h uman body and s ee t h e int ernal organ s

, ,

an d p e rc e iv e wh e th e r t h ey ar e s o und o r dis e as e d .

N e g ati v e e d pr e dominat e s in s unlight and positiv e ,

e d in moonlight which latt e r i s th e r e for e t h e mor e

,

agr e e abl e t o t h e s omn ambulist in t h e o d n e gativ e

s tat e T h e positiv e odic influ e nc e o f t h e moonlight is
.

n o t s tr o ng e n o ugh t o wak e t h e s l e e p e r but onl y t o ,

di s t ur b and mak e him r es tl e s s and t h e r e sult i s that ,

h e g e ts up and g o e s o u t into t h e positiv e moonlight ,

and n o t cont e nt wi th th at h e g e ts up as high as pos

,

si bl e fo r t h e purpos e o f s ee ing t h e moo nl ight r e fl e ct e d

from oth e r obj e ct s in t he vic in ity T h e s e ar e t h e .

caus e s why somnambulist s ar e mor e un e asy wh e n t he

moon is full than at any o th e r tim e an d why th e y al ,

way s ge t up o n hous e top s ac -

,
.

’
I am not pr e par e d t o ass e rt that all R e ich e nb ach s
 ’
xxrv TR A NSL AT OR S I NTRODUC TI ON .

all e g e d discov e ri e s ar e r e ally tru e Th e y hav e n o t.

b ee n subj e ct e d t o all t h e t e sts We know only th at

.

th e y com e from a most l e arn e d and abl e man whos e ,

pr e vious e min e nc e as a ch e mi st and g e ologist and

t e chnicist pr e dispos e s us in his favor w h os e books o n
, ,

thi s subj e ct o f 0 d show us that h e us e d all thos e t e sts

, ,

and mad e all thos e exp e rim e nts which sci e ntific s e ep
t icis m could d e mand an d mad e t h e m wit h t h e gr e a t
,

e s t car e and r e cord e d th e m with un e xampl e d minut e

n e s s W e kn o w that h e is an ag e d man alr e ady be

.
,

y ond thr e e scor e and e n wi th n o im aginabl e motiv e

J ,

to misl e ad W e know that his th e ory has n o n e o f t h e

.

marks of having b ee n adopt e d in folly o r d elu s ion h e

s hows n o pr e t e rnatural wond e rs com e s with no m e s
,

s ag e from t h e oth e r world e nd e avor s to e stablish n o

,

n e w faith asks n o cr e dulity hop e s for nothing but t o

, ,

e xt e nd t h e domain o f sci e nc e — a domai n wh e r e in t h e

impost e r and t h e dup e hav e nothing to gain and e v e ry

thing t o los e .

Many all e g e d imp o rtant sci e ntific discov e ri e s hav e

prov e d fals e afte r thorough inv e stigation S om e hav e .

b e e n subj e cts of disput e for many y e ars b e tw e e n mas ,

t e rs o f t h e branch e s und e r whic h th e y cam e as was ,

’
t h e cas e wi t h m e sm e rism and L aplac e s th e ory o f t h e
formation o f t h e un iv e rs e — th e o ri e s which hav e play e d
a v e ry impor t ant part in physiology and astronomy .

S o it may be with t h e odic th e ory Bu t it c e rtainly

.

’
i s t o o strong o n t h e v e ry fac e o f R e ich e nbach s books ,

i t is supporte d and brac e d by t o o many univ e rsally

known facts i t i s conn e cte d t o o i n ge niously ( t o say
,

t h e l e ast ) with many w e ll e sta blish e d principl e s o f

p h ysics it o ffe rs plausibl e e xplanations o f t o o man y
,

hith e rto in explicible myste ri e s i t is s e t fort h in works

,
 ’
xx vI TR ANS LAT OR S INT RODUC TI ON .

fl ue n ces . S o r etically and nem e tically ar e

th e ir r e spec
tiv e adv e rbs P air i n g is t h e pr e s e ntation o f two odic
.

pol e s to e ach oth e r I/ike p air in g is t h e pr e s e ntation o f

.

lik e pol e s ; u n like p air in g t h e pr e s entation o f O pposit e

pol e s A do u ble p as s is a pass mad e with both hands ;
.

a p ar t p as s is a pass which is n o t mad e ov e r t h e whol e

l e ngth o f t h e body a f ull len gt h pass is mad e ov e r t h e
-

whol e l e ngth a f ar p as s is a pass mad e at a di stanc e

'
.

D io d an o us m e ans p e rm e abl e t o o d dio dane i ty m eans

p erm e ability t o o d P s ycholo gy w ith it s adj e cti v e and
.
,

adv e rb is us e d h e r e in i t s wi de mod e rn se n s e o f t h e
,

sci e nc e o f mind .

J S H . . .

S AN F R AN C IS C O S ept emb er
, 1 9 th 1 8 59 .
 AUT HORS PREF ACE ’
.

T HE AIM OF HIS I NV E ST I G ATI ONS .

DI FFER E NT as t h e pr e s e nt inv e stigati o n s m ay be

fr om all pr e vious e ssays o n t h e sam e subj e ct t h e y ye t
,

hav e a similar origin which in my cas e w as t h e Op

, , ,

o r t un it y o f
f e r e d by accid e nt o f obs e rving t h e highly
p
s e nsitiv e Miss N owotny su ffe ring with catal e psy o n t h e
be d o f s ickn e s s. T h e di ffe r e nc e in t h e m e tho d o f in
,

v es t ig at io n and t h e conclusion s arriv e d at ,

may be
account e d for by t h e fact that my pr e d e c e s s o r s w e r e ,

almost without e x c e ption physicians o r m e dical d ile t

,

tanti whil e I am an inv e stigator o f natur e As might

, .

b e e xp e ct e d fr o m thos e upon th e ir stand point th e ir

-
,

conc e pti o ns and s tudi e s o f somnambulism w e r e d o c

t o r is h aiming only at cur e s ; whil e o n t h e oth e r hand
, , ,

I took t h e philo s ophic trail and adopt e d as my pur

,

pose t h e study o f t h e forc e s o f univ e rsal natur e h e r e

acti v e 1 hav e th e r e for e not inqui r e d what pr ac t ical
.
2 SO MN AM B ULIS M A ND CRAMP .

b en e fit o f valu e fo r t h e tr eat m e nt o f futur e p ati e nts

, ,

might be d e riv e d from t h e sin gul ar pathological ph e

nom e na o f Miss N owotn y but I hav e labor e d to dis
,

cov e r wh e th e r it might n o t be possibl e t o r e ach t h e

physical and physiolo gical caus e s wh e nc e pr o c ee d e d a
,

mul ti tud e o f astoni shin g e ffe cts such as I saw d e v e

,

lop e d in catal eptic cas es T h e physician s with an

.
,

imm e diate utilitarian purpos e in v i e w w e nt forwar d ,

with th eir study o f somn ambul ism but I turn e d and

w e nt backwards n egl ecting all m i n o r m atte rs in t h e
,

s ear ch for t h e b e gin ni n g o f th es e e ffo rts o f natur e .

Thus it was that whil e thos e worri e d th e ms elv e s wi th

s omnamb ul i s m animal magn e tism fas cin atIo n an d
, , ,

clairvoyanc e and fi nally s ought by m e ans o f ex t acies

, ,

an d magn e tic c o mmun ication with t h e s up e rnatural t o

throw light up o n t h e dark labyrinth in which th e y ,

w e r e e v e r b e comin g m o r e h o p e l e ssly lost 1 taking t h e , ,

contrary cours e w e nt from magn e ti s m to crystaliz e

,

tion th e nc e to ch e mical analysis and so o n t o soun d

, , ,

warmth light and e l e ctricity and finally t o t h e sourc e

, ,

o f all th e s e e ni gma t ic ph e nom e na in t h e odic group .

F or t h e pur pos e of layi ng bar e t h e foundations o f t h e

natur al forc e s h e r e r uli ng I follow e d o nl y t h e tr ac e s
,

o f th e ir dynamics and as may b e s ee n in my pr e vious

,

writings e xclud e d from my inv e sti gati ons t h e various

, ,

e ntangl e d ph e nom e n a o f sl ee p wakin g -

In n e w ap.

pr o ach in g somnamb ulism und e r th e s e circ ums tan c e s

, ,

s om e j ustification o f my conduct is n e c e ssary ; and

this justification consists in t h e fact that I d o not tr e at

o f somnambul ism in i t s whol e e xt e nt and e v e n giv e ,

n o consid e ration what e v e r to many o f its dark sid es

which ar e conv e rte d by s om e lat e writ e rs into its ma in

fe atur e s bu t I confin e myse l f t o thos e points o f phys ia
 ’
A UT H OR S P REF A CE . 3

logy an d —
psychol gy consid e ring
o t h e l atte r o nl y as a
natural and e xp e rim e ntal sci e nc e —which ar e n e c e ssary
t o t h e compl e t e n e ss and cl e arn e ss o f my physical labors
an d which t h e r e for e I would n o t dar e to omit
, , N oth .

ing that I write h e r e has b e e n obtain e d from o th e rs ;

I shall r e strict mys e lf car e fully to t h e r e sults o f my
o w n inv e stigati o ns .

T HE
’
A U T HOR S OPPOR TUN ITY TO S T UDY SO M N AMBUL I S M .

On thi s occa s ion th o s e p e r s o n s will be

'

, at r e st s et

w h o e rron e ously s uppos e d and ass e rt e d that I kn e w

no s omnambulists and that I avoid e d m e nti on ing
,

s omnambulic ph e nom e na fo r want o f information .

Am ong my s e nsitiv e s ubj e cts th e r e ar e som e thi rty and

o d d s omnambulists with whom I hav e had int e rcours e

for y e ars On e o f th e s e r e main e d in m y hous e for

.

t w o w e eks oth e r s fo r thr ee o r four w ee ks Mis s R e ich e l

, ,

thr ee months and Miss At zm an n s d o rfer fo r s ix months

,

and th e r e for e I may claim t o h av e an intim ate acquaint

anc e with t he facts o f sl ee p waking such as few phy -
,

s ici an s hav e had Co ns e qu e ntly t h e ass ertion that I

.
,

hav e no e xp e ri e nc e in t h e fie ld o f s omn ambulism is

l e ss applicabl e to m e than t o any o n e els e and can ,

proc ee d onl y from physicians in so far as I am n o t o f ,

th e ir profe ssion But I mu s t beg t h e r e ad e r t o k ee p

.

in min d that in thi s e ssay t h e su bj e ct is not t h e c u ri n g

,

o f dis e a s e but t h e inv e stigation o f na t ur e

,
All tru e .

hygi e n e must hav e na t ural sci e nc e as its foundation .

And thus my inv e stigation s will r e nd e r mor e and

gr eat e r se rvic e s t o m e dicin e than all t h e r e c e ipts for
t h e mo s t e ffec tiv e pass e s and t h e ar t fulles t m anipul a
t i o n s with palms an d fin g er s .
4 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AM P .

I shall tr e at of s o mnambulism und e r its t w o ph as e s

,

— physiological and psychological T h at th es e tw o

.

phas e s flow to g e th e r in t h e somnambulic p h e nom e na

is e asily to be und e rsto od ; but t h e dividing lin e be
twe e n th e m may n ev erth e l e s s be accurat e ly an d s e
cur e ly trac e d
.
 PART I .

SOMNAMBULISM OF PH
YSIOLOG ICAL ORIG IN.

CH AP T ER I .

G E N E R AL DEVE L O PM EN T OF SO M N AMB U LI S M .

1 T h e beginnings — Wh e n s e nsiti v en e s s
. b e longs
in a high d egr e e to t h e constitutio n o f a man from h is
birth o r wh e n it h as b ee n gr e atly incr e as e d by dis e as e
,

it is no long e r cont e nt with influ e ncing his waking

life in a thousand ways but lays hold also o f his
,

Sl eep t h e normal and h e althy cours e o f which it

,

chang e s t o an abnormal and disturb e d condition .

T h e fir s t act that o f falling into t h e somnambulic

,

s l e e p — an act which I hav e witn e s s e d hundr e d s o f

tim e s— do e s n o t di ffe r p erc e ptibly fro m t he e ntranc e

into t he ordinary sl ee p In Miss At zm an n s d o rfe r I
.

had fr e qu e nt O pp o rtuniti e s o f obs e r v ing sl e e pin e ss ,

yawning e vid e nt r e sistanc e and struggl e in which h e r

, ,

will was finally conqu e r e d and th e n somnambulic sl e e p

,

imme diat e ly follow e d Ordinarily how e v e r Miss

.
, ,

R e ich e l and M e ssrs S t ur m an n Wint e r and oth e rs fe ll

.
, ,

quickly from waking into somnambulism I onc e ad .

vi s e d Miss Z in ke l not t o w e ar a night cap which I -

,

thought unwhol e s om e and s h e accordingly comm e nc e d

,

t o tak e h e r cap o ff but ste pp e d— s h e had gon e i nto

s o mnambulism .
 6 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AMP .

2 . Speakin g in dream s t he firs t n Of s on n an sig

bulism — T h e first sign o f abnormal action ofte n dis

c o v e rabl e in slightly s e nsitiv e p e rsons w h o ar e n o t ,

awar e o f any u n h e althy action in th e ir constitution s

is sp e aking in dr e ams A p e rfe ctly n o n s e n s itiv e m an .
-

s e ldom o r n e v e r sp e aks in d r e am No o n e has e v e r .

h e ard m e sp e ak a word in dr e am and I am a p e rfe ctly ,

n o n s e n s itiv e but poss e ss e d at t h e sam e tim e o f stro n g

-
, , .

n ervous s e nsibility On t h e oth e r han d n e arly e v e ry .

,

o n e o f my s e nsitiv e subj e cts has inform e d m e that h e

talks in his dr e ams an d t h e fe w who could not t e ll ,

m e this had as it happ e n e d n o information in r e gard

, , ,

to th e ms e lv e s o n this point Th e y must how e v e r .

, ,

just as c e rtainly h av e spok e n in dr e ams as did t he

oth e rs S om e o f t h e w e ak es t s e ns itiv e s may be m e n
.

t io n e d as e xampl e s o f dr e am talk ers and am o ng th e m -

,

ar e D r F ri e drich
. D r D i e si n g wh e n a bo y Prof ,
.
, .

S ch abu s Ch e vali e r S idorowicz P rof S hr o e t t e r P rof

, ,
.
,
.

Rag s ky P rof Ch e vali e r v o n Be rg e r Mr Mauch Mr

,
.
,
.
, .

Kotsc hy Baron S chindl e r Co l Ar r o q u ia M ajor

, ,
.
,

S chwartzm ann Mr Ce vallos Ch e vali e r S ie m ian o w s ki

,
.
,

and Mr Offe nh e im All t h e hig h s e nsitiv e s without

. .
,

e xc e ption ar e dr e am talk e rs ; such as Miss e s G e r al

,
-

dini He k R upp S c h warz Be rn azke and Blahu s ch

, , , , , ,

Mrs Mu e ll e r D rs L o e w Machold and N att e r e r

.
,
.
, , ,

M e ssrs R ic h ard S chul e r Alois Zin ke l Kl e in Le o

.
, , , ,

pold e r S chill e r Pr e in r e ich and many oth e rs T h e y

, , , .

talk not only t o th e ms e lv e s and to im aginary p e rsons ,

but th ey also conduct conv e rsa t ions wit h p er sons ac

t u all y pr e s e nt to whom th e y sp e ak and r e pl y with
,

r e ad in e ss .

3 . Si tt ing up in h eal, the s eco nd s ign — T he ne xt

8 SO MN AMBU LIS M AND CR AMP .

5 . nam bulism pro per — T h e n e xt d e gr ee is

So m .

that o f s o mnambulism prop e r Th e r e ar e c e rtain con .

dit io n s in t h e sl e e p o f h e althy s e ns itiv e p e rsons which ,

s ho ul d p e rhaps be r eckon e d as s o mnambulic I wit .

n e s s e d o n e cas e which show e d conclusiv e ly that m o d e

rat e s e ns itiv e s consid e r e d by th ems e lv e s and oth e r s t o

,

be v e ry h e al thy may fall in t o s o m nambulism und e r

,

v e ry p eculiar circumstanc e s Miss Zin k el was o n e o f

.

a family o f n in e childr e n all o f whom gr e w up t o ,

be strong m en and vigoro us wom e n H e alth and .

s tr e n gth l ar g e muscl e and fi n e bon e ar e h e r e ditary in

,

t h e family Miss Zin k el h e rs e lf may mak e e v e ry cla im

.

t o good and durabl e h e alth An d ye t s h e and h e r .

,

broth e rs and s ist e r s ar e hi ghly s ens itiv e Thi s w o .

m an w h o had n e v e r b e e n in t h e somnamb ul ic sl ee p in
,

h er life b e for e and had n e v e r e v e n h e ard o f it s at

, ,

down o n e e ve ni ng in my pr e s e nc e in goo d h e alth but , ,

s om e what tir e d with t h e labor s and car e s o f t h e day .

I to ok t h e light away for o n e o r t w o minut e s into ,

anoth e r room and wh e n I r e turn e d I was ast o nish e d

,

t o fi n d h er asl e e p .

nam bulis m —Sh e s oon b e gan

F am iliari ty in som

t o sp e ak in an un s u al ton e o f voic e and wh e n I w e nt ,

n e ar h e r s h e b e gan to spe ak t o m e addr es sing m e as

, , ,

Thou Thou Baron I hav e some thing to say to th e e

, , ,
”
.

[ This addr e ss h as a m e aning which E nglish sp e aking -

p e opl e can not compr e h e nd without a sp e cial e xplana

” ”
tion . Thou an d th e e ar e always us e d by G e r
“ “

mans as w e ll as by F r e n cM en and S paniards in ad

, ,

dr e ss ing n e ar r e lativ e s intimat e fri e nds whil e oth e r

, ,

p e rson s ar e addre sse d as Y ou o r i ts e quival e nt , ,

implyin g that t h e par ti e s stand upon a r e lation o f

 G ENER A L DEVELOP M EN T OF SO M N AM BUL I S M .

formality and c e r e mony v e ry di ffe r e nt from t h e inti

” “
macy impli e d by t h e addr e ss Thou P e 0 plc coming .

from t h e Contin e nt o f E ur o p e t o E ngland o r t h e

U nit e d S tat e s find it v e ry qu e e r that childr e n hav e to
,
”
be tr e at e d to t h e formality o f Y o u and that t h e
“
,

n e ar e st intimacy will not e nabl e th e m to u s e t h e

“
Thou an e nd e aring familiarity which th e y priz e d
,

s o much in th e ir nativ e lands If a g e ntl e man w e r e

.

”
to say Thou t o a lady o f his ordinary acquaintanc e
“
, ,

in G e rmany it would be consid e r e d an insult ; much

l e ss would a lady v e ntur e to addr e ss a stran g e g e ntl e
man in that s tyl e Mi s s Zin k el in h e r normal condi
.
,
” “
tion would n o t hav e tho u ght o f s aying Thou t o
,

Baron R e ich e nbach and mor e th an ordinary courag e

,

woul d hav e b e e n r e quir e d t o carry t h e thought int o

” “
e x e cution aft e r its conc e ption
,
Thou was us e d in .

E ngland thr ee or four hundr e d y e ars ago as it is n o w ,

in Contin e ntal E urop e and ind ee d i t has n o t gon e

,

e ntir e ly o u t o f u s e ye t in s o m e of t h e provinc e s .

T RANs ] .

7 . nSo m
a m buli c p p
r o h ecy — I saw t h at this w as .

n o ordinary sl e e p but I was astonish e d to think that

,

s h e was a somnambulist S h e told m e th e n among

.
,

oth e r things that s h e was afraid o f t h e coming night

, ,
’
b e caus e at tw e lv e o clock s h e would hav e an attack o f
t h e tooth ach e which would last an h our
-
,
I took not e .

o f th e s e words and wak e d h e r aft e r som e tim e with

, , ,

u pward pass e s but said not h ing t o h e r o f w h at had

,

occurr e d ; and o n e r e ason for my sil e nc e w as th at s h e ,

has a gr e at dislik e for s omnambulis m an d is afraid ,

th at s h e may fall into that condition whic h s h e would ,

co n sid e r a gr e at misfortun e [ T h is s tat e m e nt o f Rei

.

>l<
l
10 SO MN AMB U L I S M AND CR AM P .

ch e n bach that h e was sil e nt on accoun t o f Miss Zin

k e l s fe ar of somnam bulism do e s n o t accord v e ry w e ll
’
,

with hi s ass e rtion mad e only a few lin e s prpv io us ly

, ,

that s h e h ad n e v e r h e ard of that stat e T he dis e r e .

pancy may be e xplain e d by supposing t h e auth or t o

b e guilty of an anachronism He may h av e attribut e d.

motiv e s whic h gov e rn e d him subs e que ntly to an e arli e r

, ,

tim e — T RANS J T h e n e xt morning I inquir e d with ,

much curiosity how s h e fe lt and how s h e had sl e pt

, .

S h e complain e d that h e r sl e e p had b e e n distur be d .

And by what ? ”
I ask e d By to othach e was t h e
”
.
“
,
“
answ e r . And wh e n did it attack you Just at
’ ” ”
1 2 o clock And h o w long did it last ?
. A long
hour ; I h e ard t h e clock strik e o n e b e for e t h e pain
c e as e d S h e h ad n o t had toothach e in a tw elv e month
.

pr e vious to this .

I did not t e ll h e r o f t h e int e r e st which I took in

h e r r e pli e s T h ey furnish e d m e t h e proof and t h e first
.

e xampl e t h at s ens it i v e p e rs o n s i n r o bus t heal th m a

y , ,

f all in to s o m n am bu lic s le ep an d that s o d eep ly t hat they

,

m ay be able t o m ake p r op he c ies abo u t t hei r p h s ical

y
co ndi t io n s s u ch as n o h um a n kn o w le dge n o o ther hu m an
, ,

cult y w u ld ev e r be cap able of m aki n g

f a
p,
.

S uch cas e s h app e n e d r e p e at e dly about that tim e ,

o ffe ring d ifl er cn t phas e s On e e v e ning s he w e n t into

‘

t he somnambulic sl e e p whil e sitting upon t h e sofa and ,

th e n said s h e would h av e a s ev e r e attack of cramp ,

'

which would comm e nc e at t h r e e o clock in t h e morn

ing and last an h our and a half N oth ing was said
,
.

to h e r afte r s h e awok e of t h is pr e diction in t h e d e sir e ,

not t o pain h e r with un availing appr eh e nsions Bu t .

’
t h e cramp cam e at thr ee o clock as fo re told and last e d , ,

till h alf past four

-
.
 GENER A L DEVELOPM EN T OF SO M N AMB UL I S M . 11

Mrs . He in t l a y o ung woman

a fi n e figur e o fi e r e d
,
of ,

anoth e r e xampl e Sh e is always in good h e alth and .

,

is in t h e full bloom o f h e r b eauty N e v e rth e l e ss i t

-
.
,

happ en s that s he g e ts u p in h e r be d sp e aks e v e n cri e s , ,

an d b an ds light s a candl e works writ e s o p e ns t h e

, , , ,

windo ws sits u pon t h e sills with h e r l e gs hanging

, ,

o u t and in s hort is compl e t ely und e r t h e dominio n

, , ,

o f s omnamb ul ism and e xpos e s h e rs e lf t o all its dan

,

g e rs .

8 . n light walk in a n i ht go wn — I foun d

Am oo g

a third exampl e in Mrs Ce c e lia Bau e r S h e is a . .

h e althy robust woman and lik e Mrs He in t l was n e v e r

, ,
.
,

ill in h e r life Whil e living with h e r par e nts in N uss

.
,

dorf s h e ofte n aros e in t h e night and did all kinds o f

,

dange rous acts about t h e hous e On e wint e r s night .

’
,

wh e n th er e was snow upon t h e ground s h e O p e n e d t h e ,

hous e door and w e nt o u t into t he str e e t bar e foote d

-
,
-

and dr e ss e d only in a n ight gown It so happ e n e d that -

.

a fir e brok e o u t in t h e villag e soon aft e r s h e w e nt o u t ; ,

t h e alarm was giv e n ; and t h e s l e ep e r was awak e n e d

by t h e uproar and jostling o f t h e excite d multitud e .

S h e found h e rse lf dr e s s e d v e ry scantily in t h e midst

, ,

o f t h e crowd with t h e bright moon ov e rh ead

,
Th e r e .

hav e b ee n p r eten d ed somnambulists who hav e slipp e d ,

o u t o f hous e s at night but th e s e would be dr e am e rs ,

-

n e v e r go out in th e ir nigh t gowns o n moon light nights ,

-
,

n o r h i r e foot e d i n t h e snow
-
n o r d o th e y wait o n an ,

alarm o f fi r e till t h e y ar e surround e d and jostl e d by

,

t h e crowd Wh e n Mrs Bau e r was s ee n by h e r r e la

. .

t iv e s or fri e nds in h e r somn amb ulism s h e was l e d back

, , ,

to t h e hous e bu t it oft e n happ e n e d that s h e w e nt o u t

and r e turn e d unnotic e d and lay down q ui e tly again in ,
12 SO MNAM BUL I S M A ND CR A MP .

h e r be d . T he
n e xt morning s h e would know nothing
o f h e r adv e ntur e s o f t h e pr e vious nig h t but t h e marks ,

o f h e r mov e m e nts and actio n s would show that s h e had

b ee n up .

The s e ar e wom e n but m e n ha ve b e e n obs erv e d t o

act in t h e sam e man n e r Mr Kl e in w h o w as always . .
,

h e althy discov e r e d ofte n that h e had aris e n in his sl ee p

, ,

walk e d about work e d at di ffe r e nt things and th e n gon e

, ,

to be d again D r F ri e drich and M e ssrs D elh ez Ofl e n

'

. . .
,

h e im and many oth e rs also walk e d and w o rk e d in th e ir

, ,

s l ee p wh e n young
,
.

9 . n am bulis m po ss ible in ro bus t health — Th e s e

So m .

s omn ambulists ar e all p e r s ons in p e rfe ct h e alt h w h o

w e r e n e v e r troubl e d by illn es s and had t h e m o st robust ,

constitutions imaginabl e I shall again r e t u rn to this .

portion o f t h e subj e ct but shall say nothing mor e o f it,

n o w th an that I consid e r t h e sci e ntific principl e w e ll

e stablish e d that p e rfec t ly healthy s ens i ti ves w ho at leas t

, ,

co ns ide r t he m s elv es t o be f r ee f r om all dis eas e n o t o nly ,

w alk i n t he i r s leep bu tf all in t o t he deep es t s o m na m bu li s m

,
.

T h is principl e b e ing fix e d it will be prop e r t o glanc e ,

bri e fly at t h e cau se o f somnambulic sl ee p as I hav e ,

o b s e rv e d it in highly s e nsitive—t h at is dis e as e d— per

s ons and in mod e rat e s e nsitiv e s who had fall e n into a

t e mporary i lln e s Th e r e aft e r w e shall r e turn to t he

.

qualiti e s o f sl e e p waking and fro m th e m go back to

-

its cau s es .

§ 1 1 .ni t
Prem
o r y s ym p t o
o m s A gr e at numb e r o f .

caus e s may induc e Cramp and Catal e psy in s e nsitiv e

impr e ssibl e p e rsons S omnambulism may be induc e d .

by t h e sam e caus e s o r it may be a cons e qu e nc e o f Ca

,
 G E NER AL DEVELO PM EN T OF SO M N AM BUL I S M . 13

t al e ps y T his chan g e do e s not occur gradually but

.
,

in a rapid oft e n in an instant an e ous transition from

,

consciousn e ss to t h e stat e o f sl e e p T h e pr e monitory .

symptoms w e r e usually a g e n e r al chillin e ss som e tim e s

, ,

e v e n an icy coldn e ss Th e s e symptoms w e r e note d in

.

Miss e s At zm an n s d o r fe r Be y e r N o w o t n y S t ur m an n
, , ,

and W e igand T h e c h illin e ss is follow e d by a r emark

.

abl e irr e sistibl e disposition to yawn ; which was inv e ri

,

ably s ucc e e d e d in a fe w minut e s by somnambulism in

Miss e s At zm an n s d o r fer Be y e r and Kynast Al third
,
.

s ym ptom is a burning and wat e ring o f t h e ey e s which ,

br e ak o u t into a flood o f t e ars if t h e subj e ct e nd e avors

to r e sist t h e somn ambulic attack Th e s e facts w e r e .

notic e d fr e qu e ntly in Miss e s At zm an n s d o r fer Be y e r ,

and Zin k el .

T ran siti o n t o s o m n am bulis m

11 . T h e actual .

tran sition t o t h e s omnambulic sl e e p occurs i n s t an t a

n eo us ly Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r whil e engag e d wi th m e
.

in waking and s e nsibl e conv e rsation ofte n chang e d ,

without any p e rc e ptibl e br e ak o r stoppag e in h e r lan

guag e to talking m e r e nons e ns e I mad e similar o h
,
.

s e rv at io n s o n Miss e s Kru e g e r Be y e r and S t u r m an n ;

,
‘
th ey had fall e n into somnambulism T h is s t at e had .

com e upon th e m as if it had b ee n induc e d by a m e r e

turn o f a scr e w gov e rning t h e rudd e r in t h e brain .

T h e e y e s w e r e th e n clos e d and t h e skin without s e nsa

ti o n but t h e s e ns e o f h e aring was good Miss e s G irt
,
.

ler S e ck e ndorf At zm an n s d o r fer Be y e r R e ich e l Kru e

, , , , ,

e r W e igand Blah us ch Kynast S t ur m an n and D orfe r

g , , , , ,

Mrs L e d e r e r Kr ebs K ie n e s be r g e r and many oth e rs

.
, ,

always had th eir e y e s clos e d whil e in somnambulism .

I s tuck pi n s into t h e hand s o f Miss e s S t urm an n G ir t le r , ,

I4 SO M N AMBUL I S M AND CR AMP .

N o w o t n y At zm an n s do r fe r Bey e r and Kynast with o u t

, , ,

shrinking o r s e ns e o f pain on t h e ir part T h e s e ar e all .

w e ll kno w n ph e nom ena which I m e r ely m e ntion by t h e

way and do not purpos e to e xamin e furth e r
,
.

”
T he u s e o f t h e n in ad d r e ssing oth e rs is a p e culiar
“

mark o f t h e somnambulists ; th ey u s e it in sp e aking t o

e v e ry o n e what e v e r his rank may b e high o r lo w
, ,
.

Oft e n wh e n it is doubtful wh e th e r a sl ee p is normal o r

,

abnormal thi s is o n e o f t h e most trustwort h y m e an s

,

o f d e t e rmining .

12 . D iffer en ce bet ween n am bulism

s eep an d s o m
l .

T h e chi e f di ffe r e nc e b e tw e e n t h e somnambulic and

t h e normal s l e e p e r is that t h e latt e r has n o cl e ar con
,

s cio us n e s s o r is e ntir e ly unconscious whil e t h e form e r

, ,

i s mor e o r l e ss con s cious of his own e xist e nc e and o f

what is going on about him ; and t h i s consciousn e ss is
s om e tim e s so liv e ly that it is scarc e ly to b e distinguis h e d

from that of a waking p e rson Miss R e ich el whil e .

,

s omnambulic in my hous e for W e e ks at a str e tch did ,

not t h e l e s s p e rform as w e ll as oth e rs all t h e ordin ary

, ,

proc e ss e s o f life and s h e work e d indu s triously at h e r

,

s e w ing with clos e d e y e s for day afte r day S h e walk e d .

safe ly through t h e crowd e d str ee ts of V i e nna with

clo se d e y e s and mad e h e r purchas e s in t h e shops
,
.

Miss e s S e ck e ndorf and G ir t le r with clos e d ey e s o h , ,

s e rv e d all t h e rul e s of conv e ntional propri e ty t h e

latt e r took p articular car e o f h e r h e ad dr e ss and pick -
,

in g up an almanac look e d for c e rtain days in it wi th

,

h e r ey e s shut and wh e n s h e had found t h e m point e d

, ,

th e m o u t with h er fing e r I saw h e r pick up a pin.

from t h e tabl e cloth and put it in a prop e r plac e A glass

-
.

o f wat e r had b e e n b rought and plac e d in sil e nc e o n t h e

16 S O MN AMB UL I S M A ND CR AMP .

fr e e dr e am life from whi ch s h e had just r e tu rn e d M is

-
.

s e s R e ich e l At zm ann s d o r fe r and oth e rs act e d in t h e

, , ,

s am e mann e r M r s L e d e r e r in aw ak e ning rubb e d

. .
, ,

h e r e y e s for a long tim e and star e d wond e ring at ,

e v e rything about h e r until s h e had fin ally com e t o

h e rs elf Wh e n Miss Zin ke l was about t o awak e n s h e

.
,

b egan t o rub h er e y e s and I obs e rv e d that thi s r u b,

bing b e gan at t h e i n n e r corn e r o f t h e eye and e xte nd

e d o u t t o t h e t e mpl e As thi s is a n em e t ic p as s t o w
.

ards t h e facial n e rv e s so t h e rubbing w as n o t m e r e

,

ly accid e ntal but w as a s elf awak e nin g by back pas

,
-

s es . On o n e o ccasion s h e jo in e d t h e fi v e fing e rs o f
e ach hand to g e th e r in a point and without touchin g ,

h e r e y e s mad e a slow pass from t h e i n n e r corn e rs o f

t h e e y e s t o t h e te mpl e s Ind e e d s h e onc e s e iz e d my
.

hand plac e d t h e point s o f my finge rs tog e th e r and

, ,

th e n us e d th e m t o mak e simil ar pa s s e s ov e r h e r e y es .

If I had u nd e rtak e n to awak e n h er with all car e and ,

for e thought in this mann e r I coul d n o t hav e don e it

, ,

i n a mor e m e tho dic al and r e gular mann e r than thi s ,

at that tim e n e w and in exp e ri e nc e d somn ambulist di d

, .

T h e awak e ning whi ch foll o w e d was at first u ncl e ar as ,

is t h e ca s e with all somnambulists S he op e n e d h e r .

e ye lids but appar e ntly did n o t s e e

-
, I mad e all kinds .

o f quick motions towards t h e e y e s but th e y w e r e n o t ,

notic e d th e re w as no shr inking or wi n king t h e pn

pil did not mov e Afte r t he e y es we r e O pe n e d a ful l
.
,

minut e of somnambulism int e rv e n e d b e for e s he arriv e d ,

at t h e cl e ar waking consciousne ss and se nsation which

s ucc e e d e d Wh e n I mad e anoth e r viol e nt motion t o w
.

ards t h e e y es s h e dr e w back in fright

,
T h e ordinary .

c o ns ciousn e ss always be gan with astoni shm e nt and

wo n de r at t h e circ ums tan ce s in which s h e fou n d h er s e lf, .
 GENER A L D Ev EL OP M ENT OF SO M N AM BUL I S M . 17

Mi s s D orfe r an d mo s t o f my o th e r somnambulists o n
, ,

awak ening ar e startl e d wh e n th e y look round and ar e

, ,

fr e qu e ntly much s urpri s e d at s e eing t h e c o mpany about

th e m U nl e s s th e y hav e b e e n subj e cte d to tir e som e
.

e xp e rim e nts whil e asl ee p th e y fe e l r e fr e sh e d and go

, ,

about th e ir work with a liv e ly spirit Miss Kru e g e r .

prais e d t h e s o mnamb u lic sl e e p as a pl e asur e invariably ,

r e fr e shing an d str e ngth e ning M r s K ie n e s berg e r r e

. .

pr es e nt e d i t as comparabl e t o a r e cov e ry from s ick

n e ss
. Mi s s At zm an n s d o r fe r always fe lt activ e and
ligh t h e art e d a fte r a somnambulic sl ee p Miss Bey e r .

Spok e highly o f t h e r e fr e shm e nt which s h e fe lt afte r

s l ee ping in my qui e t hous e and t h e str e ngth e ning which
,

s uch undisturb e d sl e e p brought t o h er All t h e som

.

n am bulis t s spok e in lik e mann e r unl e ss s o m e p e c uliar

,

illn e s s oppr e ss e d th e m .

S uch is a bri e f sk e tch o f t h e ordin ary co urs e o f s o m

n am bul is m . We will now e xam in e so m e o f its pecu
liar iti e s in d et ail .
18 S O MN AMBU LI S M A ND CR AMP .

CHA P T ER II .

EXTERN AL C A USES OF SO MN AMB U LI S M .

14 . Se ns iti veness n ecessary — T h e in te rn al c aus e

o f so m nambulis m is as ye t unkn o wn t o u s .It app e ar s
fr o m my inv e stigation that all p e rsons capabl e o f goi n g
into somnamb ulism poss e ss t h e quality o f s e nsitiv e n e ss
,
.

All p e rso n s with o ut e xc e ption whom I hav e s e e n in

, ,

somnambulic s l ee p w e r e highly s e nsitiv e A s o m n am

.

bulis t w ill n e v e r b e found wanting in s e nsitiv e impr e s

s ibilit y . S ens i t iven es s is a necess ar y p r eco nd i ti o n t o
s om n am bu lis m .

Al though w e know o f no physiological c ausal con

n e cti o n b e tw e e n s e n s itiv e n e ss and somn ambuli sm an d ,

know non e of t h e int e rnal caus e s o f t h e latte r stat e ,

y e t w e know many o f i t s e xte rnal induc e m e nts and of

,

t h e e xcit e m e nts which bring it on . In studying th e s e

w e shall gradually approach t h e int e rnal cours e o f
th e se wond e rful ph e nom en a and p e rhaps w e may at
, ,

s om e day unv e il th e m
,
. But in th e s e inv e stigation s
w e must be car e ful to s t and fast by t h e facts— by t h e
s ci e ntific facts — and trust to nothing els e — to n o suppo
s i t io n s or imaginations , no matte r h o w clos ely th e y
m ay app e ar to be r e lat e d t o e sta b lish e d principl e s .

But all t h e facts must be k e pt i n vi e w . T h e laws o f

logical r e asoning must be clos ely o bs e rv e d H e r e it .

is par t icularly that t h e p h ysicia ns hav e co m m itt e d

 EXT ERN AL C A USES or SO MN AM BUL I S M . 19

th e ir e rr o rs in r e gard to somn ambulism and hav e don e ,

inde scribabl e e vil t o s ci e nc e T h e caus e o f th e ir e rror

.

is e as ely to be un d e rstood Th e ir profe ssional action

.

i s go v ern e d by probabiliti e s oft e n by m e r e supposi

,

ti o ns T he diagnosis o f m o s t dis e as e s is a m e r e matt e r

.

o f pr o bability from first t o last ; t h e wis e s t physician

gu e ss e s w e ll t h e oth e rs as w e ll as th e y can ; an d in
numb erl e s s c as e s e v e n t h e wis e st can d o n o mor e than
gu es s at t h e dis e as e and t h e b e st pr o pable r em e dy .

In thi s mann e r t h e phy s ician is accustom e d t o s upp o

s it io n an d gu e ss work H is whol e sci e ntific e ducation
.
,

his whol e m e thod o f r e c o gnizing fact in natural philo

Sophy an d his mod e s o f r e asoning ar e train e d in this
,

path T hu s w e o fte n s ee imaginativ e phy s icians go v

.
,

e rn e d by a liv e ly hab it o f associating id e as and mor e ,

fitt e d to be po e ts than doctors losing th e ms e lv e s in t h e

,

m o s t adv e nturous c o mbinations o f t h e pow e rs o f natur e .

And wh e r e coul d th ey find a mor e l uxur iant fi e ld for

a tumbling groun d than that o f t he darkly attractiv e
-
,

somnambulism ? Th e r e th e y t ie tog e th e r t h e und e r

most and t h e upp e rm o st th e r e th ey mix in g e nial
union what should r e main mil e s apart T he mor e s in .

gular t h e juxtaposition o f t h e most inconsist e nt ph e no

m e na t h e gr e at er is t h e admiration o f t h e multitud e
,
.

By such m e th o d s t h e study o f s omnambulis m has fall e n

in to t h e d ee p e st disgrac e with sob e r sci e nc e and at ,

last s h e has turn e d h e r e y e s away fro m it e ntir e ly .

F or this r e sult somnambulism its e lf i s n o t at all to

,

blam e bu t only t h e illogical t h e unsci e ntific t h e com

, , ,

p l e t e ly fals e m e thod in which it h as b e e n handl e d by

many physicia n s from t h e t im e o f M e sm e r t o t h e pr e se nt

day And wh e n fe e ling faith r e ligion and t h e spiri t
.
, ,

world w e r e mix e d up wit h t h e q u e stion what h Ope w as ,

20 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

th e r e for succ e s s in philosophic inv e stigation ? F aith

an d knowl e dg e cannot e xist tog e th e r T h e form e r .

r e s ts upon authority and natural disposition t h e lat t e r ,

upon facts and e vide nc e E vid e nc e fails wh e r e faith

.

is n e c e ssary ; an d wh e r e th e r e is n o e vid enc e th e r e is

n o knowl e dg e . S ci e nc e r ecogni z e s n o propositi on as
true until it has b e e n e stablish e d by proof and is st ern ,

ly hostil e t o e v e ry thing e ls e Wh e r e d e monstrativ e

.

e vi d e nc e is impossibl e th e r e must at l e a s t be a str o ngly

s upp o rt e d induction .This principl e dar e n o t be n e g

le cte d in na t ural sci e nc e and l e ast o f all in t h e r e gard
,

t o s o mn amb ul ism ; an d I shall obs e rv e it s tr ictly in

thi s inv e s tigation .

§
15 . Co o ln ess favo rable — A c o ol t e mp e ratur e is
. as
favo rabl e t o somn ambuli s m as it is t o ordinary sl ee p .

Miss e s At zm an n s d o r fer Bey e r Zin kel R e ich el Kru e

, , , ,

g e r and oth e rs wh e n r e stl e ss from warmth soon fell

, ,

i nto s o mn ambulism if t h ey b e cam e cool .

S uch cooln e ss might be caus e d by t h e wind S outh .

win ds and still mor e w e st winds hi n d e r s o mn ambuli c

,

s l ee p ; north w in d s and cool e ast winds induc e it .

Wh e n Miss e s At zm ann s d o rfer R e ich e l and M r s , , .

K ie n e s be r g e r w e nt from my country hous e into t h e -

park th ey we re ofte n afraid o f b e co m ing somnambul ic

,

und e r t h e influ e nc e o f t h e e ast wind and s o m e t M es .

did fall into that stat e .

R ain has a si m ilar influ e nc e parti cul arly wh e n it ,

occurs in hot w e ath e r Many s e ns itiv e s fall into long

.

fits o f somnambuli s m wh e n a cold rain com e s o n .

S t o rms in t h e h e at o f s um m e r alway s di s po s e s e nsiti v es

to wards somn ambulism .
 EXTE RNAL C A US E S or SO M N AMB UL I S M . 21

§ 16 . So m
n am bul ism c ause d by n e g ati ve cd — T he .

influ e nc e o f n egativ e c d from all substanc e s is favor

abl e t o sl e e p upon all high s e nsitiv e s Miss Blah u s ch .

o n e e v e ning in t h e dark chamb e r fe ll e v e ry mom e nt

, ,

into irr e sistibl e s l e e pin e ss and it was found th at th e r e

w e r e a numb e r o f larg e crystals lying n e ar t h e n e ga ,

tiv e pol e s b e ing towards h e r I turn e d th e m about .

and t h e attacks o f s omnambulism c e as e d Magn e ts .

had t h e sam e e ffe ct T he northward pol e invariably

.

caus e d somnamb ulism and particularly in Miss e s

,

No w o t n y S t ur m an n Blah u s ch D orfe r W e igand

, , , , ,

R e ich e l At zm an n s d o rfer and Bey e r

, I plac e d a .

magn e tic wand as tall as a man n e ar t h e l e ft s ide

, ,

o f Mi s s Be y e r s h e s tanding u p and h o lding it in

,

h e r hand with t h e northward p o l e n e ar h e r h e ad ;

,

and in l e ss than half a m i nut e s h e w as in s o m n am

buli s m . Wh en Mis s At zm an n s do r fe r co ul d n o t s l ee p
a t night it w as h er cu s tom t o ge t thi s wand and
,

tak e it t o bed with h er S h e kn e w from e xp e ri e nc e

.

that wh e n i t lay at h er l eft s id e with t h e n o rthward ,

pol e to wards h er h e ad s h e wo ul d s oon go to sl ee p

,
.

Bu t th e n s h e c ontin u e d t o sl ee p s o long as t h e wand

lay a t h er s id e It h as happ e n e d that s h e has gon e
.

t o s l e e p wi th it in t h e ev e ning an d o n going t o s e e ,
’
h er t h e n e xt aft e rn o o n at thr ee o cl o ck I hav e foun d ,

h er s till in t h e s o mn ambulic sl ee p and coul d n o t awak e n ,

h er unti l I had t h e wand o u t o f be d Bu t t h e wand in .

th e s e cas e s r e ach e d only t o t h e ey e s and wh e r e t h e

n erv e o f t h e for eh e ad l e ading backward li e s b e n e ath
t h e Skin ; oth e rwis e t h e influ e nc e was hosti l e t o sl e e p ,

as may be e asily und e rsto od I tri e d simi lar e xpe r i

.

m e nts with Miss Kru eg e r and s h e als o was s o m n am ,

bul ic L ady E lise v o n S ec k e ndorf laid both hands

.
 22 SO MN AM BU LIS M A ND CR AM P .

on t he ik e p o l e s o f a fi v e l e av e d h o rs e sho e mag
un l - -

n e t and in a fe w s e conds s h e had fall e n into s e mn am

,

buli s m which laste d an hour If I plac e d magn e ts in

.
,

un lik e pa irings un de r t h e fee t o f Miss At zm ann s d o rfe r

,

whil e s h e was i n somnambul ic sl ee p s h e continu e d to ,

Sl ee p till t h e mag n e ts w e r e r e mov e d T h e sam e lady

p
.

s to od e nc e n e ar t h e north e rn e n d o f an iron wi r e ,

thirty fee t long s tr e tc he d in t h e dire ction of t he m e

,

r id ian and took hold of it in h e r l e ft hand s h e w as

, ,

so O ppr es s e d by somnamb ul ic sl ee pine ss that I w as

comp e ll e d t o plac e h e r at t he s o uth e rn e n d o f t he wir e ,

to avoid b e ing di stur b e d in my e xp e rim e nts ; and th e r e

s h e r e main e d wid e awak e I could m e nti o n facts o f
.

t h is kind by t h e hundr e d fo r in daily inte rcours e with

,

highly s e nsitiv e p e rsons th e y w e r e cons tantly r e cur

ring and at last I took no mor e not e o f th e m
,
.

All th e s e cas e s pro v e that t he m agne tic p o les p ar tie ,

ula r ly t he n o r t hw ar d p o le i n i ts u n like i n lue nce u o n

f p
t he lef t s ide of t he high s ens i t i ve i nd uce s o m nam bulis m
,

17 . By electricity — E l ik e man n e r e l e ctricity is

an e xc e ll e nt m e ans o f cau s ing somnambulic sl e ep ; that
is positi v e e l e ctricity which throws t h e pe rson into t h e
n e gati v e state Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r fe l t t he e l e ctrical
.

curr e nt str e aming from points lik e a cool br e e z e and ,

at onc e it mad e h e r dr o wsy On anot h e r occas i o n

.
,

wh e n I turn e d curr e nts towards h e r from positiv e ly

e l e ctrifi e d points s h e fe l t th e m as a v e ry cold wind
, ,

and this across t h e room T h e influ e nc e was so sopo

.

r ifi c th at s h e w e nt asl e e p e v e ry minut e during my i n

v e s t ig at i o n and I had t o awak e n h e r r e p e ate dly

, T he .

same r es ul ts w e re o bs e rv e d in e xpe rim e n ts w ith Mi ss

24 SO MN AMB ULI S M A ND CR AMP .

the s e ass e rtions and ascrib e d th em to g e n eral lov e o f

,

rose s It w as o nly wh e n Miss Be ye r t o ld m e that

.
,

n ext t o t h e ros e s s h e consid e r e d t h e blossoms of t h e

,

p e ar and appl e tr ee s to be t h e gr e at e st v e g e tabl e sop o

-

r ifi cs and v e ry similar in th e ir influ e nc e t o t h e ros e s

, ,

and wh e n Miss Zin k e l confirm e d t h e stat e m e nts o f

Miss Bey e r that I b e gan t o attach importanc e t o this
,

id e a T h e p o m aoeas [ appl e kind ] and t h e r os aceas

.
,

[ r o se kind ] ar e n e ar akin an d b e long t o t h e sam e

, ,

clas s of r o s iflo r as N atur e h as distinguish e d th e s e

.

group o f plants from o t h e rs —t h e r o ots o f t h e P o m a ,

ceas ,
fo r instanc e containin g t h e p e c uliar substanc e
,

known as p hlo r his in e —and has giv e n th e m a s i n gular

,

somnife rous influ e nc e upon t h e k ee n e xcitability o f

high s e nsitiv e s Ch e mistry will in tim e e xplain t h e
-
.
, ,

sin gul arity My succ e ssors in th e s e inv e stigations

.
, ,

will examin e man y oth e r plants with t h e aid o f high ,

s e nsitiv e s and th e ir labor will be o f t h e gr eat es t v alu e

,

t o physi o l o gy ch e mistry and th e rap e uti c s

, .

20 . By hum an 0 d — T h e o ut
str e am ings o f hum an
.
-

e d i n t h e ir di ffe r e nt d e gr e e s hav e a str o ng influ e nc e

, ,

o n t h e so mn ambulic conditio n On t h e 3 l s t July .

,

1 8 45 I arriv e d at hom e aft e r a long journ e y and foun d

, ,

Miss At zm an n s d o r fer in so h ighly s e nsitiv e a state

that s h e fe ll into somnambulism e v e ry day I w e nt .

into t h e room wh e r e s h e was and spok e to h er and , ,

within t w o o r t h r ee mi n ut e s s h e fe lt cool and fe ll in to ,

s omnambulic sl ee p T h e n e ar approach o f oth e rs

.

o f my son my daug h t e r t h e s e rvants in t h e h ous e o r

, , ,

any o n e e ls e— had t h e sam e e ffe ct u pon h e r T h e n e ar .

proximity of any o n e fo r se v e ral mi nut e s brought o n ,

t h e sl e e p This e xtr e m e se nsitiv e n e ss conti nu e d for

.
 EXTERN AL C A US E S OF SO MN AMB UL I S M . 5

t en or t w e lv eday s at t h e e n d o f which tim e it m o d e r

,
.

ate d and s h e could r e main awak e for som e t h e with

, ,

oth e rs at h e r s id e If I wish e d to sp e ak wi th h e r i n
.

a waking condition during that p e riod I had t o k ee p

,

t h e whol e width o f t h e r o om b e tw e e n us and e v e n tha t

,

pr e caution did n o t h elp much Wh e n s h e had onc e

.

fall en a s l ee p s h e could n o t awak e so long as I was

,

n e ar h e r My d e partur e was always soon follow e d

.

by h er awak e ning If s h e had sl e pt long pr e vious t o

.

my approach and was about to wak e up h er sl e e p ,

gain e d n e w str e ngth from my pr e s e nc e and continu e d

,

u ntil I w e nt away soon aft e r which it c e as e d

, Wh e n .

o th e r p e rsons spok e with h e r during sl e e p h e r awak e n

,

ing w as d e lay e d as long as t h e conv e rsation last e d .

Thus it was in July and August in N ov e mbe r h e r

s e nsitiv e n e ss to t h e cooling i n flu e nc e o f my o dic atmo s

ph o r e had d ecr e as e d but littl e and s h e could s e ldo m

,

be n e ar m e t e n minut e s without falli n g asl e e p Mrs . .

L e de r e r was s e nsitiv e t o a lik e d e gr e e T h e pr e s e nc e

.

o f h er physician fo r fi v e minute s was s u ffici e nt t o cast

h er into s omnambuli s m If I s at down n e ar to Miss

.

Kynast t o conv e rs e with h e r in t h e dark chamb e r t h e

, ,

s omnambulic influ e nc e w as soon irr e sistibl e f

T he .

s am e was t h e cas e with Miss Blah u s ch e xc e pt that I

,

always arr e st e d t h e i n flu e nc e by backward pass e s .

Mi s s Kru eg e r lay down squar e ly upon a sofa I lay ,

down at h er sid e my right n e ar to h e r l e ft Sh e soon

,
.

felt t h e somnambulic influ e nc e an d s h e had scarc ely

e xpr e s s e d h e r appr e h e n s ion o f its approach b e for e s h e

w as as l ee p .Miss W e igand continu e d stubbo r nly in

s omnambuli s m so long as m e n stood n ear h e r and e v e n ,

if t he time had co m e wh e n s h e usually wok e up Mi ss .

D orfe r said s h e fe lt cool w h il e I w as e xp e rim e nti n g

2
26 SO MN AMBUL I S M AND CR AMP .

wi th h er an d th en in t h e mi dst o f t h e work She ad

,
”
dr e sse d m e as Th o u and I saw that s h e had g o n e
“
,

o v e r into s omnambulism Miss Zin ke l in h er impr es

.
,

sibl e p e riods had t o k e e p away from m e if s h e di d not ,

wish to fall into an irr e sistibl e and s p ee dy sl ee p .

Wh e n s h e was liv ely and activ e and cam e n e ar m e , ,

with h er l e ft t o wards my rig h t sid e s h e s o o n b e gan t o ,

fee l cool h er arms w e r e cov e r e d with goos e fl e sh h er

, ,

ey e s wat e r e d s h e b e gan t o yawn

,
and if s h e di d ,

n o t th e n fl ee at o nc e s he was asl ee p in a few

,

s econds . Mi ss Be y e r in o n e o f h e r m o st impr e s
s i bl e p e riods cam e t o m e and I was arrangin g som e
,

pap e rs so that I might g o t o work with h e r but

, ,

b e for e I had don e s h e w as as l e e p ; my right sid e

,

during thi s tim e b e ing towards h e r front T h e pr e .

s e nc e of h e r physician D r Blas s h ad t h e s am e i n
, .
, .

flu en ce upon h e r fift e e n minut e s w as e nough to thr e w

h e r into sl e e p e v e n wh e n h e r e main e d at som e di s
,

tanc e from h er She co uld rar e ly r e main awak e mor e

.

than half an h o ur wh e n work ing wi th m e Wh e n s h e .

fe ll asl e e p o n such occasio n s I l e ft h e r for an hour o r ,

s h e walk e d ab o ut t h e room for a whil e u ntil I awak

e n e d h e r wi th backward pass e s I coul d th e n work .

o n with h e r for anoth e r half hour at t h e e n d o f which ,

t im e t h e sam e c e r e m o ny was r e p e at e d Wh e n t h e in .

fl u e n ce was strong upon h e r s h e fe lt a cooln e ss which

,

chang e d to cold and s hiv e ring .

Th e s e e xampl e s ar e s uffici e nt to show that high s e n

s it iv e s ar e strongly impr e ss e d th e n mad e drowsy and, ,

finally thrown into somnambulism by t h e approach o f

oth e rs ( And sinc e a cool s e nsation accompan i e s t he
.

i n fl ue n cé t he latt e r must be o d n e gativ e acc umulativ e

’
-
, , ,

pre ce ding and inducing sl ee p .

 EXTE RNAL C A USES or SO M N AMBUL I S M . 27

§ 21 .F in gers u n der t o es — On e o f t h e stro n g e st

.

s o po r ifi cs I found to consist in pl acing t h e fing e rs o f

m y rig h t hand diagonally und e r t h e to e s of t h e l e ft

foot I tri e d Miss Zin k e l in this mann e r and in l e ss

.
,

than a minut e s h e fe l t a cooln e ss h e r e y e s wat e r e d s h e

, ,

yawn e d against h er will whil e e xcit e d in thinking

about oth e r su bj e cts than so m nambulism and s h e fe lt ,

t h e n e ar approach o f sl e e p I had to r e mov e my fi n

.

g ers t o pr e v e nt it from taking poss e ssion o f h er On .

anoth e r occasion I took hold o f h e r to e s wi th my

lik e hands and almost imm e diat e ly s h e was in s o m
,

n am bulis m Wh e n I did t h e sam e t o Miss At zm an n s

.

dorfe r s h e lying in be d s h e fe lt an agr ee ably cool

, ,

s e nsation and in littl e mor e than a minut e s h e had

,

mad e t h e transitio n from ordinary consciou s n e s s i n t o

s o mnambulic dr e am . T h e transition was still mor e
Sp e e dy with Miss Bey e r I had only t o plac e my fi n
.

g e r s und e r h e r t o e s as s h e s at in h er chair and in a ,

mom e nt s h e shiv e r e d and Sl e pt In h er s e nsitiv e p e

.

r io d s I could d o t h e sam e with h e r hands If I laid .

t h e fing e rs o f my right han d cr o sswis e p o inting o u t ,

wards in h er l e ft h and s h e s oon w e nt t o sl ee p but

, ,

many minut e s w e r e r e q ui r e d T h e cooln e ss yawni ng

.
,

and drowsin e ss occupi e d s om e tim e b e for e sl ee p o c

curr e d ; wh e r e a s with t h e hands und e r t h e to e s t h e
s l ee p follow e d almost imm e diat ely Wh e n Mrs . .

An s chii t z lay in be d holding in h er l e ft t h e right

hand of h e r husband s h e s oon fe ll into somnambulism
,
.

T h e influe nc e from t h e hand w e nt up t o t h e h e ad

thr ough t h e brachi al pl e xu s and from t h e foot through
,

t h e whol e Spinal marrow wh e r e fo r e t h e l at t e r m e thod

,

w as t h e m o r e p o w e rful .
28 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CR A M P .

22 . By blo wing —Blowing particularly upon t h e

r ,

h e ad is a v e ry anci e nt m e ans o f producing sl e e p and

,

t h e magn e tic physicians u s e it wi th out und e rstanding

t h e natur e of its op e ration Its influ e nc e may now be
.

eas e ly und e rstood As in all oth e r proc e ss e s o f ch e

.

m ical d e composition r e spiration is accompani e d by a

,

de v e lopm e nt of n egativ e c d which is carri e d o ff by t h e

br e at h ; and this again mu s t hav e a cooling influ e nc e
o n t h e posi t iv e portions o f t h e huma n fram e and h e nc e ,

its s o po r ifi c p o w e r Miss Zin kel found blowing t o be

.

cool and agr e e abl e only o n t h e l e ft sid e o f h e r h e ad

o n t h e right it was warm and disagr ee abl e This fact .

accords pr e cis ely wit h t h e o d n e gativ e charact e r o f t h e

-

br e ath Bu t t he s e nsation o f cooln e ss was so pr e do

.

minant in t h e h e ad that t h e warmth o n t h e right was

not notic e d un til I inquir e d particularly about it .

Miss es At zm ann s d o r fe r R e ich e l and Kru e g e r imm e

,

d iat ely fe lt th e s o po r ifi c pow e r of t h e br e ath and t h e ,

las t r e main e d asl ee p so long as I bre ath e d upon t h e

corn e r o f h e r h e ad Thus waking and Sl ee p fact and
.
,

fancy tr uth and wild imaginin gs w e re s e parat e d only

,

by a br e ath "

§ 23 . By th e gl ance — Accordi n g . to t h e ass e rti on

o f my mnambul ist s th e r e is a strong s o po r ifi c pow e r
so

i n t h e glanc e Miss G ir t le r wh e n awak e car e fully

.
, ,

avoid e d t h e eye o f h e r physician b e caus e s h e kn e w ,

from e xp eri e nc e that t h e m ee ting o f th e ir glanc e s

would caus e h e r to fall into somnambulism Mrs Le . .

d e r e r was als o afr aid o f t h e e y e s of h e r ph ysician for

Wh e n Miss Be y e r is in h e r most
‘

t h e sam e r e ason .

e xcitabl e condi t ion a sharp glanc e by h e r physician

, ,

in to h er eye wi ll t hr e w h er into sl ee p at onc e I sh all

, .
 EXTE RN A L C A USES or S OMN AMBULI S M . 29

not now consid e r t h e qu e stion wh e th e r t hi s be t h e im

m e diat e influ e nc e o f t h e glanc e but shall only r e mind ,

t h e r e ad e r t h at according to my inv e stigations t h e e ye

, ,

is o n e o f t h e l e ast o d luminous portions of t h e b ody

-
.

S omnambulism may be induc e d by h uman o d appli e d ,

t h rough conductors I plac e d a wood e n sta ff in t h e

.

right hand o f D r H orst o f V i e nna and Mrs L e d e r e r

.
, ,
.

was thr own into s l e e p by t h e touch o f t h e stick upon

h er l e ft hand Be for e going to sl ee p s h e d e scrib e d t he
.

fe e ling produc e d by t h e stick as cool and agr e e ab l e .

24 . By pas s es —P ass e s ar e t h e most pow e rful

.

m e ans o f producing somnambulism in s e nsitiv e s This .

is a we ll known fact and I shall r e strict mys elf h e r e to

-
,

t h e e num e ration o f som e of t h e most int e r e sting vouch

ers . In trying som e e xp e rim e nts not conn e ct e d wi th
somnambulism I mad e som e pass e s ov e r Miss Kynast
, ,

from t h e h e ad to t h e abdom e n and s h e imm e diat ely ,

lost h e r consciousn e ss in sl ee p T w o o r th r ee pass e s .

would at any tim e thr ow M r s Le d e r e r into sl ee p . .

Whil e Miss Bey e r was sitting o n t h e sofa and I was ,

six fee t distant I mad e two or thr e e pass e s and s h e

, ,

was asl ee p I t h o ught I would try an e xp e rim e nt with

.

farpa s s e s o n Mrs K o w at s Th e r e w e r e thr e e room s

. .

b e twe e n us and s h e was mad e so drowsy by my m o

,

tions that I was comp e ll e d to stop Miss Martha Le o .

p o ld e r was with Mrs K o w at s and bar e ly mana g e d t o

.
,

k e e p awak e I mad e s e v e ral pass e s ov e r t h e h e ad o f

.

Miss Zin kel who at t h at tim e had n e v e r b e e n s e mn am

,

bulic and s h e complain e d o f giddin ess S h e sat down

,
.
,

and I made s e v e ral pass e s ov e r h e r b ody in t h e h op e ,

o f driving o ff t h e giddin e ss which I s uppos e d to be ,

o wing to an accumulation of 0 d S carc e ly had I don e .

30 SO M N AM BULI S M A ND CR AMP .

so ,
wh e n s h e fe ll into somnam bulism for t h e first tim e ,

in h e r life Wh e n e v e r I mad e any downward pass es

.

ov e r h e r s h e felt t h e pr e monitory symptoms o f som

,

n am bu lis m cooln e ss wat e ring o f t h e e y e s yawning

, , ,

and drowsin e ss but to avoid throwing h e r into com

p l e t e sl e e p I g e n e rally, s topp e d wh e n s h e b e cam e

dr o wsy It is cl e arly t o be s e e n that a s e nsitiv e per

.

son w h o h as n e v e r b ee n somnambulic may e asily be ,

le d ov e r into that stat e L ady [ F reifn tt u lein ] E lise

.

von S e ck e ndorf b e cam e somnambulic wh e n I mad e o n e

pass ov e r h e r right hand with my rig h t o r with a cry s ,

tal o f gypsum T h e disp e rsiv e influ e nc e o f d o wnward

.

pass e s mad e e v e n with sub stanc e s of a lik e odic pol e

, ,

had t h e sam e e ffe ct T h e s e cond pass with t h e sam e .

crystal ov er Miss W e ig an d s right h and thr e w h er into ’

s omnamb ulism and anoth e r pass brought o n cramps

, .

At c e rtain tim e s Miss Bey e r would fall asl e e p afte r a .

s ingl e unlik e downward pass mad e ov e r h e r to e s I .

found Miss R e ich e l onc e in somnambulism and afte r ,

conv e rsing with h e r for half an hour was ab out to go ,

away wh e n s h e r e qu e ste d m e to mak e som e downward

,

pass e s ov e r h e r so th at Sh e might sl e e p mor e soundly

,

afte r I should g o At t h e e ighth p ass s h e said it w as

.

e noug h T h us i t happ e n e d in unnumb e r e d cas e s that

.
,

mor e o r few e r d o w n w ar d p as s es p r od u ce d all the char

act e r is ti c s ym p t o m s of s o m n am bu lis m i n s e n s i ti u e p e r
s on s ; bu t n ev er did I s u cceed i n ha vi n g t he s am e

e nce up on n o n s en s i t i v e s ; and accor di n g t o m

-
e x i c
y p e r en e

n on e but t he s ens i ti v es can be t hr o w n i n t o s o m n am bu lis m

by ar t .

25 . By s uns h in e, Sub — S unshin e which e nliv ens and

r e fr e sh e s all the r e st of n atur e has a t e nd e ncy
.
to
32 SO MN AMB UL I S M AND CR AMP .

F ir s t a cool t e mp e ra t ur e favors it as d o t h e north

, ,

and e as t wi nds rainy w e ath e r and t h e outbr e ak o f

,

s torms in t h e h o t s e asons T h e e ffe ct o f this cooln e ss

.

wil l be und e rstood wh e n w e r e m emb e r that t h e o d

,

n egativ e pol e s o f crystals t h e northward pol e s o f mag

,

n e ts t h e e l e ctr ic curr ents in t h e air all which favor

, ,

and induc e s o mn ambulism caus e a s ensati on o f cool ,

n e ss t o t h e s e nsitiv e Th e s e ag e nci e s all hav e a cool

.

in g influ e nc e o n t h e l e ft s id e o f s e nsitiv e s All ar e .

u nlik e t o t h e l e ft sid e and un l ik e n e ss always pr o duc e d

,

t h e agr ee ably co o l fe eling but particularly und e r ,

s tr o ng o d n e gativ e influ e nc e
-
This is t h e cas e with
.

s u nshin e which though o f a mix e d charact e r is yet

, ,

pr e dominantly c d n e gativ e ; also with chloroform a

-
,

cool s t rongly o d n e gativ e liquid an d fin ally also with

,
-
,

wat e r charg e d with n egativ e 0 d T he influ e nc e o f .

v e g e tabl e s an d animals up o n s ensitiv e s is o f t h e s am e

n atur e A tr ee and wood in ful l l e af br e at h e o u t a
.
, ,

s trong atmosph e r e o f n e gativ e 0 d T h e approach o f .

human b e ings alway s has a co o ling influ e nc e o n s e nsi

t iv e s an d t h e caus e of this is that p e rsons facing e ach
o th e r i n ordinary positions bring t h e unl ik e pol e s
,

O pposit e to e ach oth e r

“
A similar influ e nc e w as
e xcite d wh e n I plac e d t h e fing e r s o f my right hand

u nd e r t h e l e ft to e s o f a s e nsitiv e o r wh e n I bl e w my ,

o d n e gativ e br e ath upon h e r h e ad o r wh e n h e r l e ft

-
,

hand was to uch e d by a staff h e ld in t h e right hand

o f anoth e r p e rson Bu t t h e mighti e st a e nt in pr o
.
g

d ucin g so m nambulism t h e downward pass includ e s all

, ,

th e s e in its elf— wh e th e r mad e with magn e ts crystals o r , ,

ha n ds In e v e ry cas e its influ e nc e was cool and n e m e

.

tic— w e ak wh e n mad e by pr e se nting lik e to lik e and ,

in full powe r wh e n lik e was passe d ov e r unlik e from t h e

 EXT ERN AL C AUSES or SO MN AM BU LI S M . 33

c e ntr e t o the e xtr e miti e s . And now we hav e arriv e d

ne gativ e a en ts
g . We s hall find occasion h e r e afte r to
look farth e r into t he conditi o n s
34 SO M N AMBUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

CH AP T E R III .

EXTE RN AL I NF L UENCES WH I CH D I S T URB SO M N AM BU LI C

SLEEP .

§27 . Ho w t o pr event
n am bu li sm
s om W e shall .

put t h e principl e announc e d in t h e e n d of t h e last

chapt e r to trial by e xamini n g t h e O pposit e ph e nom e n a
— t h e r e moval o f t h e condition induc e d by n em e t ic
influ e nc e s T h e t w o inv e stigations must control and
.

confirm e ach oth e r mutually in cas e th e y be prop e rly

,

manag e d .

Wh e n Miss Blahu s ch h ad sat for awhil e by m y sid e ,

i n t h e dark chamb e r s h e b e ga n to g e t drowsy and if

, , ,

undisturb e d w e nt into somnambulism and e xh ibit e d

,

all its symptoms This r e sult int e rrupt e d t h e e xper i

.

m e nts whic h I wis h e d to mak e with h er in t h e normal

s tat e and I studi e d m e ans o f k e e ping h e r awak e I .

found t h at upward pass e s from t h e body ov e r t h e fac e

,

to t h e e y e s w e r e always e ffe ctual to arr e st t h e drow

,

s in e s s
. A fe w such pass e s oft e ntim e s a singl e o n e
, ,

would su ffi c e to r e stor e h e r at onc e to h er natural

liv e l in e ss T h e sam e facts w e r e r e p e ate dly obs e rv e d
.

with Mrs Bau e r Baro ne ss N atorp Mrs K e in e s ber g e r

.
, , .
,

and Miss e s L e o po ld er At zm an n s d o r fe r Rupp Bey er

, , ,

and oth e rs In e v e ry cas e a slight n e m e t ic manag e

.

m e nt bl e w away t he t e nd e ncy to s omn amb ulis m .

 EXT ERN AL I NF L UENCES D I S T URB I NG T H E SLEEP . 35

Wh e n s omnambulic sl ee p h as comm e nc e d it may

e asily be disp ell e d All t h e s o s tyl e d magn e tic physi
.
-

cian s hav e a multitud e o f m e ans to d e stroy it S uch .

h e roic e xp e di e nts as tubs o f wate r b e for e t h e be d ,

and s e fo rth ar e e ntir ely unn e c e ssary I know a Mrs

- -
,
. .

L whos e s o n b e tw e e n t h e y e ars o f t en and tw elv e

, ,

was a s o mnambulist Aft e r trying e v e ry oth e r r e m e dy

.

in vain fo r t h e s uppos e d vic e s h e b egan to u s e t h e rod ,

.

Wh e n h e ar o s e in his be d s h e b e gan t o b e at him ,

but s h e n ev e r s ucc ee d e d in awak e ning him She .

smot e away up o n t h e bar e fl e sh until it was all raw

and bl e e di n g but h e s how e d n o s ign o f pain an d
,

s e e m e d t o pay no att e ntion to t h e whipping T he .

p o o r moth e r was fright e n e d ; s h e did n o t kn o w t h e

m e aning o f this ins ensibility t o pain .

§28 . Ho w am b
t o awak e n s o m
n uli s m — If inst e ad ,

o f s uch tr e atm e nt s h e had us e d a fe w upward pass e s

.

ov e r his bo dy s h e would hav e succ ee d e d b e tte r

, .

Wh en Mrs L e d e r e r Mrs K ie n e s be rg er Miss e s Bla

.
,
.
,

husch Zin k el Kynast an d Kru eg e r w e r e s omnambulic

, , ,

I awak e n e d th e m with a fe w doubl e upward pass e s ,

from t h e pit o f t h e stomach to t h e e y e s F our o r fi v e .

pass e s ov e r t h e ey e s to t h e t e mpl e s suffic e d to wak e up

Miss e s At zm an n s d o rfe r and Kru e g e r Miss W e igand .

awake n e d as soon as t h e fing e rs o f t h e right hand had

pass e d a short distanc e ov e r t h e stomach I awak e n e d .

Miss Bey e r by t w o o r thr e e upward pass e s ov e r h e r

to e s Miss R e ich el awok e wh e n a pass was mad e
.
,

fr o m h er abdom e n ov e r h e r head to t he back of h e r

n e ck with t h e n e gativ e pol e o f a magn e t o r wi th
, ,

a pi e c e o f l o d e ston e On o n e occasion Miss Zin ke l .

had attacks o f colic : I cur e d th e m by o n e or tw o

36 SO MN AMB ULI S M AND CR AMP .

pas se s with my right hand and at t h e s am e tim e s he

,

w e nt t o sl e e p I suppos e d h er sl e e p to be normal
.
,

and at t h e e n d o f a quart e r o f an hour shook h er ,

to wak e h er up but s h e was in s omnambulism an d ,

”
s pok e to m e thouing m e I m ad e a fe w pass e s
,
.

from h er ey e s to h er e ars and from h e r n e ck t o

,

h er ey e s and s h e awok e
,
Wh e n Mrs L e d er e r and
. .

Miss D orfe r w e r e lying asl ee p th ey w o uld soon awak e, ,

if I s t o o d at t h e h e ad o f t h e be d Miss At zm an n s .

dorfe r was s ev e ral tim e s awak e n e d by t h e m er e walk

ing o f s om e o n e past t h e h e ad o f h er bed .

29 . T he sh ockfro m a p erso n d epar ting .— A Sin

gul ar caus e o f aw ak e ning is found in t h e shock o f s e

par at io n . Wh e n Miss Bey e r w as in amb uli c o

s m n

s l e e p , i n t h e pr e s e nc e o f h e r physici an
o r mys e lf t h e ,

d epar t ur e o f e ith e r w o uld awak e n h er Wh e n Mrs . .

An s ch u e t z was s omn ambulic holding h er husband s ,

’

right hand in h e r l e ft s h e was at o nc e awak e n e d by his

,

d e partur e If h e did not wish t o wak e h er up h e h ad

.
,

t o go away slowly and gradually Onc e h e thought

.

hims e lf far e nough away t o be abl e t o mov e briskly ,

but t h e c o ns e qu enc e w as that s h e start e d and alm o s t ,

awok e .

I hav e had r e p e at e d Opportuniti es o f late t o obs e rve , ,

a s in gular mod e o f awak e n ing in Miss Zin kel Wh en .

n e ar t h e en d o f h er sl ee p s h e o fte n said I shall n o w

, ,

s e e n awak e ; I fee l it c o min g in my e y e s It may .

b e infe rr e d from this that a n e m e ti c pr o c e s s tak e s

plac e and is p e rc e ptibl e to t he sl ee pe r fo r s e v eral
,

minute s b e for e it r e s tor es him to wak e fulne ss Th e n .

,

be for e waki ng s h e u s e d t h e points o f t h e fin g e r s

,
,

bunch e d to g e th e r t o mak e pass e s ov e r and t o u chi i g

,
 EXT ERN AL I NF L UE NCE D I ST URB I NG SLEEP . 37

t he y e s t o t h e t e mpl e s with o dic slown e ss ; th us awak

e ,

ing h e rs elf by t h e most m e thodical upward pass e s as ,

though s h e had thor o ughly studi e d t h e proc e ss which , ,

how e v e r was e ntir e ly unknown to h er in h e r normal

,

c ondition .

30 . n am bulis m an 0 d-n egati ve s tate o r th e

So m
n erves — T h e m e thods o f pr e v e nting and disp e lling
. ,

s o m nambulism hav e n o t ye t b ee n s o fully s tudi e d as

t h e m e ans o f inducing it but s o far as obs e rv e d th e y , ,

ar e all acc o mp ani e d by influ e nc e s which accumulat e o d

fr o m with o ut to t h e n e rv o us c e ntr es S uch in flu e nc e s .

charact e riz e t h e upw ard pass e s t o cur e dr o wsin e s s ,

and upward pass e s t o stop s omnamb ul ic sl ee p e ith e r ,

o v e r t h e wh o l e body ov e r t h e pit o f t h e stomach ov e r

, ,

t h e ey e s o r o v e r t h e to e s with t h e hands o r t h e p o l e s
,

o f a magn e t ; and t h e sam e may be s aid o f t h e e ffe ct

o f a p e r s o n standing at t h e h e ad o f a so m nambulist ,

o f t h e shock o f s e paration and o f t h e sl e e p wak e r s ’

-
,

o w n p ass e s This l e ads us t o t h e principl e that s o m

.

fl uen ces o
on t heand this principl e sup
ne r v us s ys tem

p o rts and co n firms t h e o n e pr e v iously arriv e d at in

r egard to t h e influ e nc e s which caus e and favor t he

Whe n w e tak e th e s e t w o principl e s in vi e w at o nc e

— t h e productio n o f s l ee p wakin g by t h e disp e rsion
-
, ,

and it s d e ducti o n by t h e accumulati on o f o d— w e ,

arriv e at t h e important d e duction that s om n am bu lis m

38 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AM P .

CHAP T E R IV .

CR AMP .

31 . What is th e cd -po s itive co n ditio n t— T h e qu es

ti on n o w sugge sts i t s e lf —If somnambul ism be t h e c d
n egativ e condition o f t h e n e rvous system what is t h e ,

s tat e und e r t h e domin ion o f positiv e o d ? W e fin d all

kind o f cramps in intimate conn e cti on with s e mnam
buli sm and lik e t h e l att e r th ey ar e alway s t h e com
panions o f high s e nsitiv e n e ss It was t h e r e for e an
.
, ,

important porti on o f my task to inv e stigat e wh e th e r

th e r e w e r e not c ertain g e n e ral r e lations conn e cti ng
cramp with t h e odic influe nc e s and wh e th e r it might
,

be includ e d and s e cur ely class e d among t h e ph e nom e na

o f s e nsitiv e n e ss
. F o r t h e pur po s e o f approaching t h e
s olution o f th e s e qu e stions w e shall consid e r t h e cir
,

cum s t an ce s und e r which t h os e cramps coming withi n ,

t h e rang e o f our pr e s e nt inv e sti gation o ccur ,

.

32 . Cram p n t o se ns itives — Most s e nsiti v es

co m m o

ar e pr e dispos e d to cramps T h e ir dis e as e s hav e usu

.

ally mor e o r l e ss conn e ction wi th cramps All h ig h .

s e nsitiv e s su ffe r much from th e m— at l e ast I hav e found

no e xc e ption Mr S turm oth e rwis e a h e althy man

. .
, ,

has fr e qu e nt attacks of cramps which r e ach from t h e

,

fe e t to t h e hips V e ry slight caus e s s uffi c e t o cramp

.

v ario us porti o ns o f Miss D o r fe r s body Mr Be llm an

’
. .
40 SO MN AM BULI S M AND CR AMP .

e x amin e t he caus e s of cramps i n s ens itiv e p e r s ons an d ,

t h e s e v e ral odic infl u e nce s which accompany it .

Cramps may b e induc e d in s e ns itiv e s by t h e magn e t .

E v e ry magn e t wh e th e r a hors e —
,
sho e o r bar wh e n
~
,

po int e d with e ith e r pol e towards Miss No w o t n y s hand ’

,

mad e it sti ff and induc e d a painl e ss cramp S ma ll .

magn e ts as larg e as a fing e r had t o lie in h er hand fo r

, ,

s om e minute s b e for e th e y cau s e d cramp and ti e d h e r

fin g e rs tog e th e r L arg e r mag ne ts e x e rcis e d t he s am e

.

influ e nc e in l e ss tim e v ery larg e on e s caus e d a mor e

rigid cramp and t h e hand was fi x e d so fir m l y upo n
,

t h e mag ne t that t h e s e nsitiv e was not abl e alon e t o

‘

loos e n h er hold In t h e abs e n c e o f h e r phy s ician s h e

.
,

was accustom e d t o mak e passe s with a m agn e t

o v e r h e rs e lf t o bring o n sl e e p
, On o n e o ccasion s h e .
,

fe ll as l ee p wi th a s ingl e l e av e d hor s e sho e magn e t in h e r

-

hand Af te r a tim e s h e awok e ; t h e hand claspin g

.
,

t h e magn e t was cold whit e and so rigid that s h e coul d

, , ,

n o t op e n it. T h is cramp was wit h out pain o r any pe

culiar s e nsation and e xte nd e d half way up t h e arm
, .

Wh e n a hors esho e mag n e t was plac e d o n t h e e y e s o f

Miss N owotny it forc e d h e r to clos e th e m and s h e
, ,

could not o p e n th em until t h e cramp c e as e d If t h e .

magne t was plac e d o n h e r t e e th h e r lips b e cam e rigid , ,

and h e r sp ee c h was obs t ruct e d P e rhaps this kind o f .

a lock might b e o f value to husbands I r e qu e ste d .

Miss N owotny to lie down upon h e r back with h er ,

h e ad to t h e north o n a sofa I th e n laid a bar magn e t

, ,
-
,

t w o fee t long ov e r h e r stomach wi th t h e nort h ward

, ,

pol e towards t h e e ast : and thus t h e o d n eg ativ e pol e -

was o n h er o d po sitiv e sid e T h e position was slightly

-
.

disagr ee abl e bu t s h e submitte d and r e main e d qui e t

, .

I th e n turn e d t he bar e n d fo r en d s o t hat t he lik e hu

, ,
 CR AM P . 41

man and magn e tic pol e s w e r e brought tog e th e r s h e

could b e ar this for only a short tim e a disagr ee abl e
luk e warm curr e nt b e gan to flow t o h e r h e ad and a cold ,

o n e to h e r fe e t ; follow e d by colic sw elling o f t h e ,

stomach with a worm lik e cr e e ping s ensation burning

-
,

and wat e ring o f t h e e y e s h e adach e and cramping lik e

, ,
-

pain s At this stag e o f t h e exp e rime nt I stopp e d I

.
,
.

laid t h e magn e t right angl e wis e at h er sid e with o n e

,
- -
, ,

pol e pointing at h er Wh e n t h e n e gativ e northward

.

p o l e w as turn e d towards h er l e ft positiv e s id e s h e fe lt , ,

a cool agr e e abl e s e n s ation but aft e r a whil e t h e

, ,

e qualization b e cam e compl e t e and th e n t h e s o r e t ic r e ,

action o f acc um ulating n egativ e 0 d b egan with luk e -

,

warmn e ss colic h e adach e an d cramping pains

, , ,
T he .

southward pol e dir e ct e d at h e r right s id e had t h e

, ,

sam e e ffe ct Th e n o n t h e oth e r hand I dir e ct e d t h e

.
, ,

northward pol e towards h er right sid e s h e was soon ,

attack e d by t h e known ph e nom e n a o f s e v e r e cramp .

F inally t h e s outhward p ol e pointe d at h er l e ft s id e

, ,

c au s e d h e at w o rm lik e cr e eping and roaring in t h e

,
-

h e ad cold and twitching s in t h e fee t and soon cramp

, ,

had tak e n po s s es s i o n o f all t h e limbs I mad e simil ar .

e xp e rim e nts and obtain e d t h e s am e r e s ul ts with Mis s

, ,

Kru e ge r .

Magn e ts e x ercis e d a similar influ e nc e upon Mis s

S t u rm an n e v e n at a distanc e
,
Whil e s tanding fo u r .

s t eps abov e h er h e ad as s h e lay i n be d I took t h e

, ,

anchor from a nin e l eav e d hors e sh o e magn e t and im

-
,

m e diat e ly s h e was s e iz e d by a tonic cramp If I did .

t h e sam e at t h e lik e distanc e b e low h e r fe e t s h e fe ll ,

into clonic cramp On e e v e n ing whil e P rofe ssor

.
,

Lippich was e ngag e d with h e r and D r G aal w as ,

.

s tanding with m e at a dist an c e o f thirte e n st e ps fro m

42 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

h er , D r G accid e ntally and slightly r e mov e d t h e ar

. .

matur e fr o m a nin e l e av e d magne t whi ch I h e ld in my

-

hand and almo s t imm e diate ly s h e fe ll into cl o ni c

cramps I oft e n s aw Miss e s At zm an n s d o r fer and K ru e
.

g er thrown into cramps by magn e ts which I to ok in t o ,

th e ir pr es e nce Th e se cramp s b e gan v e ry s e e n wh e n

.
,

I turn e d lik e magn e tic pol e s upon the ir Sid e s but im ,

m e diat e ly wh e n I mad e a s light upward pa s s wi th t h e

s out h ward p o l e di r e ct e d at th e ir l e ft s id es .

34 . By s itti ng wi th back to th e —D uring t h e w es t .

first days o f t h e Catam e nia Mis s Zin k el w as thr o w n ,

into v iol e nt cramps by sitting down o n a chair with

t h e back turn e d t o t h e w e st And e v e n in t h e inte r
.

vals b e tw ee n t h e monthly p e riods if h er n erv e s w e r e ,

in an e xcitabl e condition sitting with h e r back t o t h e

,

w e st brought o n cramp o f t h e sto mach v e ry sp ee dily .

A turn o f her chair with t h e back t o t h e north w as at

onc e follow e d by r eli e f Miss N owotn y was affe cte d
.

in t h e sam e mann e r as Miss Zin k el by sitting with h er

back t o t h e w e st .

§ 3 5 .B y cry s tals —Crystals hav e an influ enc e s i

r

milar to that of ma g n e ts Whe n I h e ld t h e o d positiv e

.
-

pol e of a t e n inch long gypsum crystal to wards t h e

-

l e ft hand o f Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r h e r first s ensation ,

was a disagr e e abl e luk e warmn e ss ; h er s e cond s e nsation

wa s as of ants crawling ov e r h e r skin ; t h e third s t o ,

mach ach e t h e fourth t w ichi n g and int e rn al wav ing

-
,

mo tions o f t h e arm to t h e should e r with h e adach e ; t he ,

fifth was spas modic yawning ; t h e six th burn ing o f t he ,

e y e s with flow o f t e ars ; and t h e s e v e nth was t h e be

gin n ing o f cramps at whi ch stag e I put an e n d t o th e

,

e xp e rim e nt .
 CR AM P . 43

By MetalS —Am o rph o u s bodi e s o f unipolar

36 . .

charact e r wh e n th ey hav e a str o ng odi c c apacity h av e

, ,

much e ffe ct o n p e r s on s dispos e d to cramps In t h is .

class all h e avi e r m e tals ar e includ e d Wh e n Miss

t he .

At zm an n s d o r fer att e mpt e d to cl e an s ilv e r war e s h e

w as invariably attack e d by cramps which last e d for ,

an hour unl e ss I was at hand t o c u r e t h e m F r e d e rick

,
.

W e idlich n ev e r op e ns a door latch with his bar e hands -

,

but alway s u s es his coat tail as a cov e ring for his fi n -

g e r s knowing that o th e rwis e h e would h av e stomach

,

ach e h e ad ach e and p e rhaps cramp

,
-
,
Miss e s N o w o t n y .
,

S t ur m an n M aix R e ich e l and At zm an n s d o r fe r acc o rd

, , ,

ing as th e y w e r e in a mor e o r l e ss s e nsitiv e condition ,

had t o u s e gr e at car e how th e y touch e d m e tallic sub

s tanc e s T h e touch o f door locks window catch e s
.
-
,
-
,

s poon s ,kniv e s and forks scissors j e w e lry kitch e n , , ,

war e tin plat e s smoothing irons stov e s balust e rs and

,
-
,
-
, , ,

o th e r m e tallic articl e s mor e particularly if o f copp e r

,

o r brass induc e d cramps

,
If Miss At zm an n s d o rfe r
.

v e ntur e d in h e r most e xcitabl e p e riods to e at with a

silv e r spoon t h e m u s cle s o f h er mouth soon b e cam e
, ,

rigid t h e spoo n was s o m e t M e s fast e n e d b e twe e n t h e

, ,

t ee th and bitt e n crook e d and could n o t be r e mov e d ,

until t h e cramp had e xhaust e d its e lf Miss Zin ke l o c .

c as i o n ally mad e fi r e in a larg e chamb e r stov e o f sh e e t

iron ; but s h e c o uld s e ldom g e t h e r fi r e kindl e d b e for e

s h e h ad stomach cramps A young P rinc e ss v o n Win
-
.

disch G ra e tz was e xc e e din g ly s e nsitiv e to odic in

-

fl u en ce s Miss At z m an n s d o r fe r was giv e n to h e r as a

.

companion o n account o f h e r e xp e ri e nc e in a similar

s e nsitiv e n e ss and that posi tion s h e h e ld until t h e
d e ath of t h e P rinc e ss A silv e r spoon was s ufli cie n t
.

t o throw t h e latt e r in to a cramp S h e co u ld scarc e ly .

44 S OM NAM BOLIS M A ND CR AMP .

tak e silv e r coin into h e r hand b e for e s h e h ad a cramp .

Onc e s he wis h e d to pay out o n e hun d r e d gu ld e n in

silv e r ; but s h e was unabl e to count it and dir e ct e d ,

Mi ss At zm an n s d o r fe r t o und e rtak e t h e task T h e lat .

t e r count e d s e v e nty guld e n and fe ll into cramp Afte r .

s o m e ti m e s h e r e cov e r e d and succ e e d e d in g e tti ng t o

n in e ty guld e n wh e r e s h e w as again arr e st e d

,
Af te r .

anoth e r r e cov e ry s h e succ ee d e d in fini shing t h e coun t .

P rin c e ss von Windisch G ra e tz could n o t b e ar t h e pr e

-

s e nc e o f an ordinary looking glass ; it mad e h e r sick

-
,

and gav e h er t h e h e adac h e and if s h e did n o t hurry

away s h e w o uld hav e s e v e r e cramps T he influ e nc e .

w as n e arly as strong o n Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r She .

had to g o b e for e t h e glass and th e n r e tir e t e n tim es

b e for e s h e could finish dr e ssin g an att empt t o r e mai n
n e ar t h e glass until s h e was don e w as always p uni sh e d
,

by cramps Q uicksilv e r is p e cul iarly hurtful for s e n

.

s it iv e s ; but all m e tals by t hei r u n ip o la r od ic char ac ter

caus e CT am p .

§
37 . By cro wds .—
H um an b e ings lyin g n e ar o n e
anoth e r hav e t h e sam e in flue nc e as magn e ts and cry
e t als
. If I lay down by t h e sid e o f Miss e s Kru e ge r
and At zm an n s d o r fer wi th my h e ad to th e ir fe e t th e y ,

at onc e cri e d o u t and sprang up ; and Mis s Z in kel di d

t h e sam e wh e n in t h e sam e position lik e sid e s w e r e
, ,

pr e s e nt e d T h e two form e r in th es e c as es w e r e thrown

.

into s e v e r e cramps Wh en fifty o r sixty s tud e nts

.

coll e ct e d about t h e be d of Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r t h e

accum ul ation of Cd in h e r syste m t hr e w h e r into a ,

s woon which e nd e d in cramps

,
T he p r es en ce of a
.

cr o wd m ay ca us e c r a m ps i n s e ns i t i ve p e r s on s .

If I took t h e hands o f Miss W e igand in my o w n ,

 CR AMP . 45

min e b e ing cr o ss e d s h e soon swoon e d and th e n ha d

,

attacks o f cramp Wh e n s h e fold e d h e r hands s h e

.
,

had stomach ach e and h e ad ach e and cr am p like pains

-
,
-
.

All similar o d positiv e influ e nc e s induc e d cramps

-
.

38 . By light —An ass e rti o n that light alon e may

.
,

caus e cramps may caus e a s tonishm e nt but t h e ass e r

,

tion is n e v e rth e l e ss tru e Wh e n Mis s Kru e g e r with

.

a glass rod touch e d t h e gr ee n rays o f an iris form e d

by s unlight passing a prism s h e soon fe lt pain and , ,

cramps follow e d A similar trial o f t he influ e nc e o f

.

t h e gr ee n rays of moonlight was almost imm e diat e ly

followe d by s e v e r e cramps Sh e was attack e d in lik e
.

mann e r wh e n s h e stuck h er for efing e r into t h e gr e e n

rays o f t h e moonlight I plac e d o n e e n d of an iro n
.

wir e in Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r s hand and u pon t h e ’

,

o th e r e n d which r e ach e d into anoth e r r o om I thr e w ,

t h e gr e e n ray s of sun light S h e did n o t know what

.

I was d o ing but Sh e soon complain e d o f a disagr ee abl e

,

fe e li n g b e cam e v e ry faint and th e n fe ll into cramp

, ,
.

E v e n t h e cl e ar sunlight which at first caus e d agr ee

,

abl e s e n s ations at last caus e d cramp s

,
.

I place d an iron r o d in a north and south p o s iti o n - -

laid a larg e gypsum crystal from t h e min e o f S altz ,

burg at t h e south e rn e n d o f t h e rod and r e qu e st e d

,

Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r t o touch its oth e r e n d S h e did .

s o an d fe lt disagr e e abl e luk e warmn e ss s tomach ach e -

, , ,

and th e n attacks o f s pa s m o dic yawning and finally

cramps .

39 By upward pass e s wi th — U pward

.
pass es
hands ar e a c e rtain m e ans o f inducing cramps in hig h
s e n s itiv e s Bu t no p e rson would e v e r inte ntionally
.
46 SO MNAMB UL IS M AND CR AM P .

s ubj e ct an o the r to t h e to rtur e s o f cr amps for t h e m e r e

s ak e o f e xp e rim e nt and th e r e for e th e r e is littl e oppe r
,

t un i t y for obs e rvation e xc e pt in such c as e s as occur

accid e nta lly T h e s lighte st upward motion s o f my
.

hands n e ar Miss S tur m an n At zm an n s d o r fe r R e ich e l

, , , ,

G ir t le r Kynast N owotn y Blah u s ch Mrs An s ch ue t z

, , , ,
.
,

K ie n e s be r g e r K o w at s L e d e r e r and oth e rs s ufi ice d t o

, , , ,

induc e cramp o r its pr e monitory symptoms Miss .

Be y er could not put o n h e r sto ckings without fee ling

pains passing through h e r fee t and back t o h e r h e ad ,

and s h e coul d bar ely e scap e cramp if s h e hur ri e d h e r ,

s e lf T he cau se o f th e s e s e nsations was evide ntly t h e

.

upward pas s e s which s he gav e h e rs e lf in pulling o n

h e r stockings On o n e occasion s h e was lying o n t h e
.

sofa s uffe ring wi th cramp s which I cur e d by d o wn

ward pass e s but wh e n ev e r I mov e d my hands back
,

ward e v e n at a gr e at e r dis t an c e s o as t o mak e o t h e r

,

downward pass es s he w as invariably d rawn up in a

,

toni c cramp .

I accid e ntly touch e d Miss At zm an n s d o rfe r n e ar t h e

mi d dl e o f t h e back with my right for e fin g e r In a fe w .

minute s s h e had a s e v e r e h e adach e and soo n afte r ,

cramp T he t o uch o f th e sam e finge r o n t h e v e rte x o f

.

h e r h e ad d e priv e d h e r in s tantan e ously o f consciousn es s ,

and brought o n twitc hing and cloni c cramps That .

plac e on t he crown of t he h e ad call e d t h e v e r t ex ,

wh e nc e t h e hair naturally turns towards all s id e s is ,

t h e most s e ns itiv e point in t he fram e Miss e s R e ich e l .

,

M aix S t ur m an n and othe rs w e r e always thrown into

,

cramps by my touch ing it Its influ e nc e is e xplain e d.

by t h e fact t h at t h e c d str e am from t h e fin g e r flo ws

-

upward lik e upon t h e n e rv e s known as t h e occip italis

-

m aj or and m ino r t h e au r i culo tem o r ali o f t h e P ar

, p s
48 SO MN AMB U LI S M AND CR AMP .

to t h e ankl e ; and t h e le g w as mad e cool whil e t h e foot

was warm clam my and p e rvad e d with a s e nsation o f
,

cr e e p in g I th e n mad e doubl e pass e s ov e r h e r br e ast

.

and body to t h e thigh s t h e body b e cam e cool and t h e ,

l e g s and fe e t wa r m and clammy and fe lt a cr e eping

,

s e nsati o n I th e n add e d four o r fi v e mor e pa s s e s o f

.

t h e sam e kind and wi thi n a minute cramps b e gan in

,

t h e calv e s and fe e t and s o o n b e cam e painful Th e s e .

cramps c o uld be cur e d as e a s ily as th ey w e r e caus ed .

A fe w down ward pas s e s ov e r t h e cramp e d portion o f ,

t h e body s uffi c e d to r e sto r e t h e normal t e mp e ratur e

,

and e asy positio n o f t h e m us cl e s Up w ar d p as s es of .

ev er y kind c aus e t o n i c an d clo n i c cr am p s i n all high

s ens i ti v es .

E v e n lik e downward pass e s caus e cr amp Mis s .

Bey e r s physician mad e down ward pass e s ov e r h er

’

with crosse d arms and t h e cons e qu e nc e s w e r e colic

, ,

h e adach e and cramps in h e r fing e rs and arms Whil e

,
.

t h e sam e lady was in m e nstruation I mad e downward ,

pa s s e s with m y rig h t hand ov e r h e r l e ft arm aft e r ,

thr e e o r four pa s s e s it w as rigid with t h e fing ers ,

thrown back in tonic Spasms Wh e n I mad e s imilar .

pass e s ov e r h e r to e s h e r l e g s b e cam e rigid D own

, .

ward pass e s wh e n cont inu e d too long hav e t h e in

, ,

fl u e n ce o f upward pass e s and caus e cramps in Mi ss ,

Be y e r s arms
’
.

W e t fe e t hav e a v e ry hurtful e ffe ct on Miss Zin kel ,

and giv e s h e r h e adach e in Miss Bey e r who is mor e ,

e xcitabl e th ey caus e stomach ach e and t h e n cramps in

-
,

t h e abdom e n in Mrs K o w at s t h ey caus e colic .

, .

41 . By th e pecul iar o dic in fluen ce o f in dividual s .

T he p e culiar odic atmosp h e r e of s om e p e rsons may ,

 CR AMP . 49

cau s e cr amp in high s e nsiti v e s Onc e wh e n Mis s .

N owotny w as in h er most s e nsitiv e condition s he ,

b egg e d m e to tak e away a g e ntl e man who was in t he ,

room and whos e pr e s e nc e mad e h e r fe e l h e at th e n

, ,

stomach ach e h e adach e and cramping pains

-
, ,
Thi s .

g e ntl e man was a polite good looking e ld e rly man ,

-
, ,

s uch as many oth e rs who w e nt to s ee h e r about t h at

tim e and th e r e was nothing disagr ee abl e about him

,

that I could p e rc e iv e He cam e aft e rwards and r e

.

main e d for a tim e in t h e room T he cons e qu e nc e was .

that s h e fe ll into a swoon and th e n into s e v e r e cramp ,

.

A g e ntl e man who had b ee n a b e n e factor to h er bad t h e

, ,

sam e influ e nc e upon h e r and it r e quir e d h e r gr e at e st

,

e fforts t o e nabl e h e r t o e ndur e his pr e s e nc e She .

could giv e no e xplanation o f h e r s e nsations furth e r

than that t h e whol e atmosph e r e about th e s e ge ntl e m e n
was a tortur e t o h er I imagin e d that both had suf
.

fe r e d s e v e r e ly from dis e as e which had p e rman e ntly ,

injur e d som e o f th e ir inte rnal organs and th e r e for e .

gav e o u t an unwh ol e som e odi c influ e nc e This in .

fl ue n ce is o d positiv e and thus dispos e s s e nsitiv e s to

-
,

cramp Miss M aix told m e that a c e rtain visitor o f

.

’
h e r s had mor e than onc e caus e d h e r to faint ; and
,

Miss R e ich e l told m e o f many p e rsons whos e c o mpany

w as intol e rabl e t o h e r .

I o ft e n h e ard Mis s e s R e ich e l Bey e r and At zm ann s ,

dorfe r Mrs K ie n e s berg e r and Mr F r e d e rick W e idlich

,
.
, .

complain that th e y w e r e full o f cram ps which would

soon br e ak o u t This was an anticipation taught by
.

e xp e ri e nc e that c ertain p e culiar s e nsations w e r e t h e

for e runne rs o f cramp Th e y d e s crib e d th e s e s e nsations

.

as a ge n e ral un e asin e ss a dull pr e ssur e towards t he

,

h ead s l ee pin e ss an xious dr e ams and to tal inabili ty t o

, , ,

3
50 SO M N AM BU LI S M A ND CR AM P .

l p Whil e Miss R e ich e l was in my house s h e ofte n

s ee .
,

did not sl e e p fo r s e v e ral succ e s s iv e nights and o n o n e ,

occasion not for thr ee w e e ks Miss Karban oft e n s uf .

fer e d from inability to sl ee p F r e derick W e idlich had

‘

.
,

from tim e to tim e p e riods o f sl ee pl e ss n es s which e nd e d

,
.

with attacks o f cramp In th e s e ca s e s th e r e w as .

always a fee lin g o f pr e ssur e t o wards t h e h e ad— a s en

sation v e ry di ffe r ent from that which pr e c e d e s som
n am bul is m Miss Zin kel ofte n disc o v e r e d in t h e morn
.

ings that s h e woul d hav e cramp in t h e e v e ning o r ni ght

by a c e rtain s ensation o f h e a vin e ss which g raduall y
e xt e nd e d from t h e fee t through t h e l egs and th e n ,

disapp e ar e d in a l o ss o f fe e ling All th e s e ar e t h e .

s ym ptoms of o d positi v e accumulativ e influ e nc es

-
, .

Wh e n s h e thus lay down t h e d e ath lik e l o ss o f fee lin g

,
-

e xt e nd e d gradually through t h e abdom e n th e n int o ,

t h e c h e st and e nd e d in somnambulism Mrs An s chu e t z . .

g e n e rally had cramps o n t h e day s s ucc e e ding th o se o n

which I vi sit e d h er Miss Zin ke l could tak e part in
.

t abl e t ippin g parti e s at t h e cost o f som e d is ag r e able

fe e ling oppr e ssiv e s e nsa t ions in t h e br e ast an d stom
, ,

ach ach e but in t h e succ e e din g night s h e was always

-
,

attack e d by shoo ti ng cramps p assing thr o ugh t h e ,

hands fee t arm s n ose kn ee s t e mpl es thigh s gum s

, , , , , , ,

and s o forth .

41 . By
ntal excitem ent
m e Miss Zin kel gav e .

m e t h e b e st d e scription o f t h e fo r e fe elin g s o f approach

ing cramp and its c o mpanion so m n ambul i s m Th e y ,

.

s e ldom attack e d h er wi thout havi ng b ee n in vit e d by

som e m e ntal e xcit e m ent But th e se m e ntal cause s o r

.

occas i o ns w e r e ofte n so insi gn ificant th at s h e to ok n o n o

 CR AM P . 51

tic e o f th e m at t h e tim e And s h e was t h e mor e lik e ly

.

t o o v e rlook th e m as t h e attacks u s ually did not com e

,

o n until h o urs half a day o r a w h ol e day lat e r

,
If .

t h e m e ntal e xcit e m e nt was gr e at such as a gr e at frig h t , ,

t h e cramp cam e o n imm e diat e ly ; but w e ak moral s en ~

s at io n s l e ft impr e ssions on t h e mind which s e parat e o r ,

acting tog e t h e r w e r e t h e caus e s of lat e r cramps T h e

,
.

first s ign o f approaching [ lati ti r en d er ] cramps w as

always an irr e sistibl e s tr e tching in all h e r limb s ,

This s tr e tching is in its e lf a kind of ant e c e d en t w e ak

cramp ; for wh e n ev e r I mad e som e di s p e rsiv e pass e s ,

o v e r h e r t h e str e tching c e a s e d an d g e n e ral r e st b e gan

,
.

H iccoughs w e r e also a sign that s h e would hav e t h e

cramp and w e r e fr e qu e ntly its for e runn e r s Ind e e d th e y
,
.

ar e a kind o f cramp and I cur e d th e m by disp e rsiv e

,

pass e s by placing t h e point s o f my fing e rs o n t h e pit

,

o f t h e s tomach o r most c e rtainly by a glass o f wa t e r

,

charg e d with 0 d wh e n uncharg e d wat e r would hav e n o

,

e ffe ct
. If how e v e r t h e hiccoughs w e r e n o t arr e ste d a
, , ,

p e culiar yawning s oo n s e t in and this t o o w as a sp e ci e s

,

o f cramp U p t o thi s tim e I r e main e d maste r o f t h e

.
,

cramps and c o uld cur e th e m at will by disp e rsiv e

,

m e thod s but if t h e di s e as e was n e gl ect e d in thi s s tag e ,

a s e nsation o f cr e e ping in t h e stomach foll o w e d t h e ,

s tomach s w e ll e d palpitation o f t h e h e art s e t in th e r e

, ,

w e r e int e rnal twitchings in all d ir e ctions and th e n ,

t h e s u ffe r e r was c e rtain o f t h e n e ar approach o f s pa s ms ,

which s oon s e iz e d and rag e d thr o ugh h er b o we ls

, , ,

br e ast n e ck an d back arms and l egs

, , .

Th es e e xam pl e s show th at s o r et ic influ e nc e s may

induc e a condition in w hi ch cramps ar e lat e nt Th e s e .

cramps an d t he p o w e r which s e t s th e m a going ar e

, ,

s t o r e d aw ay s om e wh e r e in t h e b o dy pr o bably in t h e ,
 52 SO M NAM BUL I S M A ND C R AMP

brain and aft e rwards wh e n circumstanc e s

, , ar e favor
abl e th ey br e ak out in viol e nt activity
,
.

42 . By o bs truct i o ns t o t h e flo w o f ed . Obs t r u c
tions ar e t h e most pow e rful caus e s o f cramp Among .

t h e most singular of th e s e ph e nom e na ar e t h e facts t h at ,

littl e pi e c e s o f wood crystal m e tal or e v e n o f pap e r

, , ,

laid o n t h e fi n g e r points o f highly s e nsitiv e p e rsons

-
,

caus e cramp I hav e had e xampl e s o f t h is in Mrs

. .

P r e in r e ich Miss e s F l e isch e r Bey e r Zin kel and many

, , ,

o th e rs Th e r e ar e also practical cas e s worthy o f n o

.
,

tic e no mod e rat e s e nsitiv e can w e ar a thimbl e And .

this is tru e not only o f m e tal thimbl e s which ar e dis ,

agr e e abl e b e caus e of t h e c d positiv e charact e r but of -

,

all kinds b e caus e th e y obstr uct t h e flow o f c d from t h e

,

fing e r L e ath e r glov e s ar e also uncomfortabl e t o s en

.

s it iv e s but silk glov e s wi th thin m e sh e s ar e l e ss dis , ,

agr e e abl e L e ath e r sho e s caus e t h e sam e s e nsations

.

as l e ath e r glov e s H igh s e nsitiv e s long to put o ff th e ir

.

l e ath e r sho e s and put o n cloth slipp e rs that p e rmi t

, ,

t h e circulation of air Wh e n u nusually e xcitabl e Miss

.

Z in k el was not abl e t o put o n lac e d boots whi ch w e r e ,

not unpl e asant t o h er o n ordinary occasions But in .

h er mor e s e nsitiv e p e ri o ds th ey caus e d cramp which ,

b egan in t h e s mall e r t o e s and e xt e nd e d th e nc e to t h e

w h ol e foot Th e n s h e had to hurry to tak e th e m o ff
.

an d soon aft e r that t h e cramps c e as e d Th e s e ph en o f

.

m e na ar e t h e p u r e e ffe cts o f obstructions wh e r e t h e ,

odic e manations from t h e fing e rs and to e s ar e mor e o r

l e ss inte rc e pt e d F o r t h is r e ason sandals ar e much
.
,

b e tte r th an sho e s for s e ns itiv e p e rsons .

Th e s e exp e rim e n t s and exp e ri e nc e s w e r e hi ghly in

s tructi v e t o m e Th ey sh o w e d in t h e plain e s t mann e r
.
, ,
 CR AM P . 53

ho w cramps aris e as t h e imm e diat e r e sult o f o d accu

,
-

m ulat iv e influ e nc e s th e y giv e t h e key to a multitud e

o f ph e nom e na e xt e nding throughout t h e domai n o f
,

s omnambulism and s e nsitiv e n e ss e xplain a gr e at

numb e r o f facts hith erto un explain e d and giv e rational ,

m e ans o f av oiding du d pr e v e nting e vils t h e r e m e di e s ,

for which hav e b e e n h e r e tofor e h idd e n in unc e rtain t y

and darkn e ss .

43 By lik e o dic pairings — A not unimportant

.

e xampl e o f t h e principl e s ju s t brought to light app e ars

in a proc es s of daily occur e nc e —t h e approach o f t h e

physician to t h e sick be d and t h e fe e ling o f t h e puls e
-
,
.

It app e ars at first sight absurd to ass e rt that t h e pa

,

ti e nt can car e which sid e of t he physician is n e ar e r to

him or wh e th e r h e fe e ls his puls e with t h e right o r
,

l e ft hand And ye t Miss e s M aix S t urm an n At zm an n s

.
, ,

d o rfe r and oth e rs hav e r e p e at e dly assur e d m e that t h e

,

fee ling o f th e ir puls e was particularly painful to th e m .

’
If I without for e thoug h t sought to fe e l Miss Zin k e l s
, ,

puls e in h e r right wrist with my lik e hand s h e imm e ,

d iat e ly j e rk e d loos e from m e and it was t h e sam e if

I sought to fe e l t h e l e ft puls e with my l e ft fing e rs A .

’
lik e puls e fe e ling o n Miss S t urm an n s l e ft wrist caus e d
-

cramp in h e r w h ol e arm I hav e witn e ssed a multitud e

.

o f cas e s o f t h e sam e kind but hav e not not e d th e m ,

down T he caus e is plain Wh e n t h e puls e of t h e

. .

s e nsitiv e was fe lt with lik e fing e rs a curr e nt o f c d be ,

~

gan to run up to h e r brain and s o qn ov e rpow e r e d h e r .

Bu t unlik e puls e fe e ling was at first cooling and a g r e e

-

abl e In t h e fdr m e r c as e wh e r e t h e wrist and fing e rs

.
,

w e r e alik e t h e natural e ffe ct u p on a hi g h s e nsitiv e

,

would be cr amp ; and this e ffe ct I obs e rv e d s e v e ral

’
54 SO MN AMBU LIS M AND CR AMP .

tim e s in Miss Bey e r At h er most e xcitabl e tim e s s h e

.

would fall into cramp afte r h e r hand had b e e n h eld in

anoth e r s lik e h and for only a quarte r o f a min ute
’
.

T h e approach o f t h e p h ysician t o t h e sick b e d has t h e

s am e influ e nc e and wh e n t h e pati e nt i s v e ry lo w be
, ,

com e s a matt e r o f importanc e If h e pr e s e n ts his nu .

lik e Sid e to t h e pati e n t th e r e is n o dange r but if h e

,
’
o ffe rs a lik e sid e his l e ft for instanc e to t h e pati e nt s
,

l e ft and fe el s t h e l e ft p ul s e with hi s l e ft fing e rs h e

, ,

n e e d not be a s t o nish e d if t h e sick man s oon b e com e s

r e d in t h e fac e and r e stl e ss o r has a fit o f cr amp o r
, ,

O pisthotonus T h e physician sho ul d n e v e r appr o ach

.

with a lik e sid e t o t h e sick be d and if h e do e s not-

,

know this hi s pr e s e nc e will call forth dis e as e s o f which ,

h e is hims e lf t h e caus e It i s cl e ar from th e s e subor

.

d in at e facts how important a thorough knowl e dg e

o f t h e odic ph e nom e na and s e nsitiv e n e s s is t o e v e ry

physician ph e nom e na which n e v e rth e l es s hi ghly , ,

s ci e ntific m e n o f t h e pr e s e nt day d e clar e to b e long ,

among t h e fabl e s T h e onl y fabl e lik e fact in t h e af

.
-

fair is th e ir o w n ignoranc e .

44
. By all i tive s o ret ic influences —If w e
o d-p os r

glanc e ov e r t h e cit e d cas e s of t h e origin o f cramps w e ,

discov e r a c e rtain g e n e ral characte ristic T h e s e at .

with t h e back to t h e w e st is n othing e ls e than a s o

r e ti e r e action of t h e od n egati v e southward pol e of t h e
-

e arth upon our rig h t sid e and of t h e positiv e nort h

,

ward pol e upon o ur lik e l e ft ; and t h is influ e nc e is

pr e cis e ly similar t o that of lik e pol e s o f magn e ts u po n
o ur sid e s w h e th e r t h e magn e ts b e m e r e ly point e d at
,

u s o r us e d in making pass e s ov e r us Crystals use d .

in t h e sam e way imm e diat e ly o r through conduct o rs

, ,
56 SO MN AMB UL IS M AND CR AMP .

n es be r e
g ,r An s ch u e t z and many o th e rs I hav e wrought
,
.

Such cur e s on Miss Zin k el fre qu e ntly o f lat e Whe n .

s h e has fall e n into t e tani e cramps with o r without s o m

n am bulis m I hav e invari ably r e li e v e d h e r by som e n e

,

m e tic pas s e s ov e r h er br e ast for e arms and han ds fe e t

,
-
,

and to e s wh e n I took h er unlik e hands in min e an d

plac e d t h e e nds o f my finge rs as n e ar as possibl e t o
h e rs o r plac e d my unlik e fing e rs o n h e r to e s t h e
, ,

cramps would fr e q ue ntly go in l e ss than a minut e .

S om e tim e s and t h e fact is r emarkabl e e no u gh I suc

, ,

ce e d e d wh e n I cam e e arly e nough in arr e sting an d

pr e v e ntin g t h e cramps by m e r e ly placing t h e points o f

my fing e rs o n h e rs and bringing my to e s t h ough co v
, ,

e r e d with boots as n e ar as possibl e t o h e rs Th e r e

,
.

w e r e cramps which attack e d h er e v e ry day and ex

t e nd e d ov e r h er arms l e gs br e ast and n e ck and w e r e
, , ,

accomp ani e d by opisthotonus T h e struggl e o f t h e s e

.

r e ti e cr am p at t ack against t h e nem e ti c influ e nc e from

t h e e xtr e miti e s was s h own by a multi t ud e o f si gns .

T h e cramps disapp e ar e d in twitchi ngs o f t h e muscl es

o f t h e back o f t h e Rect us Abd om i n is and t h e Bi cep s
, .

On o n e occasion wh e n I sought t o pr e v e nt t h e ap
pr e achi ng cramps o n Miss Z in ke l b e sid e s placing my ,

finge rs upon h e rs I br e ath e d upon t h e pit o f h e r sto m

,

ach Thi s br e ath in g had a strongly disp e r s iv e in flu

.

e nc e an d caus e d a pi e rcin g cold and n e gativ e s e n s a

,

tion By this m e ans I was still more e mphatically and

.

s p ee dily mast e r o f t h e cramp which was so subj e ct e d

, ,

t h at Miss Zin kel pass e d an e asy and cramp fr e e night -

.

I am convinc e d th at if int e l lig e nt aid w e r e at h and in

tim e most cramps particularly th ose of t h e h yst e rical
, ,

kind might be mast e r e d and cur e d In t h e cas e s cite d .

,

t h e s uffe r e r s had a sens ati o n as th o ugh a fl ui d w as

 CR AM P . 57

passing fr om th e ir h e ad downward through t h e br e a t s

,

back arms and fe e t and w h e n I plac e d my fing e rs and

, ,

to e s against th e irs th e y fe lt as if t h e d o w n flo w in g cur

r e nt w e r e arr e st e d in its cours e and turn e d backwards .

Th e s e may all hav e be e n m e r e s e condary s e nsations to

which no valu e is to be attache d b u t I m e ntion th e m
h e r e for t h e compl e t e n e ss o f t h e vi e w o f t h e int e r e stin g
facts whe r e t h e most viol ent cramps ar e conqu e r e d
,

wh e n in t h e fu ll forc e o f th e ir approach by pur e ly odic

m e ans appli e d in t h e n e m e ti c way
, .

46 . nam bulis m an d cram ps , o pp o s it e o dic co n

So m
dit io ns o f t h e n ervo us s ys t em — Th e n w e hav e a r e sult
.

pr e cis e ly opposit e to t h at arriv e d at in r e g ard to t h e

origin o f cramps nam e ly : that cramps ar e arr e st e d
,

and cur e d by n e m e t ic influ e nc e s working upon t h e

limbs attack e d .

U niting t h e two r e sults that accumulativ e tr e atm e nt

o f t h e limbs caus e s cramp and m e m e tic tr e atm e nt cur e s
,

it and w e arriv e at t h e s e cond main principl e that

,

cramps ar e in th e ir g e n e ral ch ar act er o d p o sitiv e co n

, ,
-

d it i o n s o f t h e n e rvo u s syst e m .

We hav e alr e ady s e e n that s omnambulism is caus e d

by n e m e t ic tr e atm e nt is d e stroy e d by s o r e t ic and th e r e
,

for e is to be consid e r e d as a want o f odic fluid an ,

c d n e gativ e stat e o f t h e n e r v o u s s t r u ct ur e
-
. .

And o n t h e oth e r hand w e find th at cramps ar e

,

caus e d by s o r e t ic and ar e cur e d by n em e t ic tr e atm e nt

, ,

and th e r e for e ar e t o be consid e r e d as c d ov e rcharg e d -

conditions of portions of t h e n e rv e s w h ic h ar e in an ,

o d po s it iv c stat e
-
.

An d th us aft e r car e fully distinguis h ing t h e var ious

n atur al ph e n o m e n a in this t an gl e d fi e ld w e arriv e at ,

3 :
58 SO MN AMBULI S M A ND R AMP
C .

th e cl ear re cognition of the conclusion

bulis m and cr am
p ar e t wo opp os i te od ic co n di tion s of
the n er v o us s ys te m t he co n d i t i o n bein g ne gat ive in som

and p o s i t ive in cr am p .
 SO MN AMB UL I S M A ND CR AM P I N CONJ UN CTI ON . 59

CH AP T E R V .

SO M N A MB U LI S M AND CR AM P TN CONJ UNC TI ON .

47 . T he tw o ng to gether in the hum an bo dy

o ccurri .

-
If s omnambulism an d cramp ar e t w o o pposit e Od
polar conditions e ach b e ing caus e d by s uch pass e s as
,

cur e t h e oth e rs i t woul d be but r e a s onabl e to sup

,

po s e that if th e y w e r e t o m e e t in t h e s am e b o dy th ey
would mutually d e s t roy e ach oth e r Y e t in fact .
, ,
'
w e s ee that this is n o t t h e ca s e but that th e y O ft e n
,
'

e xi s t tog e th e r and that s e nsitiv e s ar e fr e qu e ntly afl e ct

,

e d by b o th at o nc e In such cas e s th ey ar e mingl e d

.
,

tog e th e r i n t h e mo s t co nfus e d mann e r And pr e cis e ly .

in th e s e facts may be found o n e o f t h e caus e s why th e ir

mutual r e lationshi p h as h e r e t o for e b ee n s o in explicabl e
t o pathologi s t s .

T o avoid b e ing lost in t h e l abyrinth which h as b e e n

building s inc e t h e tim e o f P uys e gur w e must hold ,

fast t o t h e guiding lin e O ffe r e d in t h e fact that o d may

e xist in bo th condition s n egativ e and p o sitiv e in o n e
, ,

body at t h e sam e t w e and that both conditions may

,

e x e rci s e an infl u e nc e outwards A bit o f wood whi ch

.

I whirl e d round b e tw e e n t h e fing e rs o f both hands and

thus charg e d at t h e s am e tim e with positiv e and n e ga
’
tiv e 0 d and th e n plac e d in Miss Zin ke l s hands ca us e d
, ,

h e r t o fe e l two s e n s ati o ns o n e l uk e warm t h e o t h e r

, ,
60 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

c o ol . If I plac e d t h e t en fing e rs O f both my hands at

t h e e n d Of a stick Of wood o r gl as s a s ensitiv e p e rso n ,

could fe e l at t h e ot h e r e n d t he curr e nts o f warm and

cool o d This p e culiarity O f t h e 0 d may also be
.
,

trac e d in t h e light ph e nom e na wh e r e t h e blu e flam e s

,

o f t h e right fing e rs and t h e r e d flam e s o f t h e

,

l e ft fin g e rs w e r e both purpl e wh e n t h e curr e nt o f

,

o n e hand was discharg e d upon t h e oth e r Wh e n I .

grasp e d o n e e n d o f a glass rod in both h ands it e mit ,

t e d a blu e r e d flam e from its oth e r e n d

-
S imilar ph e .

n o m e n a w e r e no t e d with magn e t s and crystals E nough .

,

I hav e O bs e rv e d a vast numbe r o f facts showing that

'

wh e n t h e odic curr e nts O f O pposite pol e s flo w tog e th e r ,

the y do not d e s troy each oth e r as d o positiv e and ,

n e gativ e e l e ctricity o r bind e ach oth e r fas t as magn e

,

t is m do e s o r n e utraliz e e ach ot h e r as a ffi nity do e s

, ,

bu t that t h e two forms o f 0 d may e xist n e ar e ach

o t h e r and with e ach oth e r fo r a tim e O f unknown dura

tion and that e ach may in t he m ean tim e e x e rcis e it s

, , ,

p e culiar influ e nc e s .

’
This is t h e Ar iadn e s thre ad which must l e ad us
through t h e tangl e d pas sage s o f t h e labyrinth o f s o m
n am bu lis m and cramp If t h e plus and minus o d may
.

e xist tog e th e r for a m easur abl e l e ngth o f tim e without ,

n e utralizing e ach oth e r in inorganic bodi e s th ey must

, ,

be found in still mor e intricate r elations in organic

living b e ings wh e r e th er e ar e so many di ffe r e nt ma t e
,

rials t o fast e n upon It i s n o w my task t o produc e

.

facts showing that such intricat e r e lations o f t h e t w o

o dic conditions r e ally do exist in animat e bodi e s .

It is no t an uncommon occurr e nc e known to n e arly ,

e v e ry physician that t h e us ual cramps O f highly s e n

,

s i t iv e p e rsons ar e as a g e n e ral rul e accomp ani e d by

, ,
 SO M NAM BUL I S M A ND CR AM P I N CONJ UNC TI ON . 61

so mnambulic sl e e p This was t h e cas e innum e rabl e

.
,

tim e s with Mis s e s N o w o t n y R e ich e l At zm an n s d o r fe r

, , , ,

Kru e g e r Bey e r Kynast Wint e r Zin ke l S t u r m an n

, , , , , ,

Kr ebs D orfe r Mrs K ie n e s be r g er Mr W e idlich and

, ,
.
,
.

many oth e rs Most O f t h e ordinary cramps to o k plac e

.

with s imultan e o us somnambulism t h e e xciting caus e s ,

o f which w e r e known in only a fe w cas e s But th e s e .

caus e s w er e O fte n cl e arly disco v e rabl e in ca s e s brought

o n by artificial m e ans .

48 . Bo th caus ed by t o uch — It happ en e d that

. onc e
I plac e d t h e point o f my for e fing e r e xactly o n
t he
v e rt e x o f Mi s s At zm an n s d o r fer s h e ad ; and im m e dia ’

t e ly s h e lost h er consciousn e ss and fe ll ov e r in s o m

n am bul is m and in l e ss tha n a minut e clonic arm cramps
,
-

b egan At that focus all t h e r e curr e nt sub cutan e ou s

.
-

n e rv e s o f t he h e ad m e e t thos e o n t h e l e ft b e ing o d
positiv e and thos e o n t h e right o d n e gativ e
,
My -
.

s trongly Od n e gativ e right for e fing e r took poss e ssion

-

at Onc e in s o s e nsitiv e a p e rson Of t h e l e ft n e rv e s ,

n e m e t ically and O f t h e right s o r e t ically t h e form e r

, ,

influ e nc e mad e h e r a somnambulist ; t h e latte r thr e w

h e r into cramp and at t h e e n d o f half an hour both
influ e nc e s had e xhaust e d th e ms e lv e s an d s h e was again ,

in h e r normal condition and at e a s e On anoth e r o c

, .

casion I plac e d both my fo r e fi n g e r s o n h e r h e ad in t h e

,

s am e plac e T h e e ffe ct was so s e v e r e that s h e at O nc e

.

cri e d out fe ll into s o m n am b ulis m an d at t h e s am e tim e

, ,

had a viol e nt attack O f cramp which last e d for half an ,

hour T h e caus e was t h e sam e as in t h e first cas e bu t

.
,

strong e r o n account o f t h e application o f both fing e rs ,

which O p e rating alt ernate ly and in O pposit e dir e ctions

upo n t h e cutan eo u s n e r ves o f t h e h e ad c aus e d s o m ,
‘
62 SO M N AMB ULIS M A ND CR AMP .

n am bul is m
and cramp In thi s ca s e curr e nts of p o si
.
,

tiv e and n e gativ e 0 d w e r e at t h e sam e tim e thrown

-
, ,

u p o n e ach class o f n e rv es and ye t th e y di d not n e u t ra

,

l iz e e ach oth e r but t h e s e ns itiv e was maste r e d by th e ir

,

four fold influ e nc e s all in op e ration at t h e sam e tim e

-
,
.

I witn e s s e d s imilar cas es in Mis ses M e ix R e ich e l and ,

S tu rm ann .

49 . By passes w P rofe ssor Lippich induc e d a s i

-

mi lar ca s e bu t in a r ev e rs e di r e ction — that is from

, ,

t h e fe e t upwar ds He vi s it e d Miss At zm an n s d o rfer

.
,

th e n lying ill in my hous e tr e at e d h er wi th magn e tic,

pass e s which w e r e v e ry agr e e abl e and b e n e ficial t o

,

h er . He e nd e d th es e pas se s by placing his right h and

un d e r t h e sol e s o f h e r fe e t s o that t w o fing e rs r e ste d
,

upon t h e l e ft foot and thr ee upon t h e right and he ,

h e ld his hand in this po s itio n fo r som e tim e T h e .

pas s e s thr e w h e r into somn ambul ism but t h e holding

o f his right fin g e rs und e r h e r sol e s brought o n cramps .

T h e ski llf u l p h ysician told m e that th e s e w e r e n e m e t ic

cramps which brought t h e dis e as e from t h e h e ad t o
,

t h e e xtr e mi ti e s —s o far was h e from a prop e r und e r

standing O f t h e e ffe ct o f his o w n Op e rations 1 H is

influ e nc e o n t h e l e ft positiv e fo o t was n e m e t ic and
cooling fo r o n e minu t e but h e maintain e d t h e positi o n
too long an o v e rcharg e r e sult e d and t h e e fi e ct th e n
b e cam e s o r e ti c H is influe nc e upon t h e right foot w as
.

still worse ; his n egati v e fing e rs w e r e strongly s o r e t ic

upon t h e n e gativ e foot T h e cons e qu e nc e was that
.
,

’
t h e pati e nt s w h ol e som e sl e e p was b rok e n by viol e nt
cramps and th e n be justifi e d himse lf aft e r t h e r ape u
, ,

tical fashion by a combinati on O f words without m e an

,

in g . In thi s e xampl e I could follow t h e pr e cis e cours e

64 SO MN AMBUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

alr eady b e gan to fee l drowsy and as soon as t h e cram p

,

was cur e d s h e found gr e at di fficulty in r e ma ining

awak e This sl e e pin e ss was t h e e fl ect o f my n e m e t ic
.

tr e atme nt and i t comm enc e d b e for e cramp brought

, ,

o n by oth e r influ e nc e s had c e as e d I onc e mad e a

,
.

coupl e o f pass e s with t he n e gativ e pol e o f a gypsum

crystal he ld in my right hand h e ld ov e r t h e rig h t
hand o f L ady E lis e von Se ck e ndorf at Carlsbad in t he
pre s e nce o f Be rz eli us and t h e cons e qu e nce w as that
,

s h e b e cam e somnamb ulic at onc e and h e r arm w as ,

s ti ffe n e d with a cramp S O ignorant w e r e w e at that

.

tim e t h e gr e at natural phi losoph e r and my in s ign ifi

,

canc e that w e both suppo s e d t h e ph e nom e non t o be a

,

trick and with t h e most b e autiful e xpe rim e nt in o ur

,

hands w e woul d inv e stigat e t h e subj e ct no furth e r "

,

Y e ars pass e d by b e for e I discov e re d t h e whol e e xte nt

o f my e rror and Be rz elius di e d witho u t having o h
,

t ain ed t he e xplanation T h e strongly n e gativ e in

.

fl u e n ce upon t he n e gati v e hand o f t h e highly s e ns itiv e

lady was instantan e ously s o r e t ic and b e for e I could
,

mov e my hand cramp e nsu e d T h e pass h o w e v e r r en

,
.
, ,

d e r e d this mor e mild and s h e w e nt ov e r into s o m n am

,

b ulis m Both conditions pass e d away wi thin half an

.

hour and t h e lady was again wid e awak e T h us thi ngs .

hav e gon e o n e v e r sinc e th e r e hav e b e e n somn ambul ists

in t h e world t h e cl e ar e st th ink e rs hav e misund e rsto od
t h e e ntangl e d ph e nom e na and w e r e e v e n r e ady t o
d e nounc e th e m as tricks It was t h e sam e with mys elf
.
,

and my numb e rl e ss e n e mi e s will long continu e t h e

s am e cour se I afte rwards mad e t h e sam e e xp e rim ent
.

wit h t h e sam e crystal upon Miss W e igand and s aw ,

t h e s am e ph e n o m en a again d e v elop e d .
 SO MN AM BUL I S M AND CR AM P I N ONJ UNC TI ON
C . 65

50 . By n t m ag e s —
I hav e s e ldom s ee n pass e s
mad e with t h e pol e s o f a hors e sh o e magn e t ov e r high-

s e nsitiv e s withou t t h e ir b e ing attack e d at t h e sam e

tim e by s omnambulism and cramps Both cam e upon .

Miss S t u r m an n afte r o n e such pass had b e e n mad e ov e r

her . Miss e s N ath e r and R e ich e l F r e d e rick W e idlich
, ,

Alois Bay e r and many oth e rs w e r e afraid o f t h e mag

,

n e t and would hav e not h ing to do with it b e caus e th e y ,

had l e arn e d its good and evi l e ffe cts from a long e x pe
r ie n ce A fe w pass e s with such a magn e t mad e acr o ss
.

a room at Miss At zm an n s d o r fer caus e d wat e ring Of t h e

e y e s and yawning as for e runn e rs o f cramp and som
,

n am bulis m Th e r e is no wors e instrum e nt for mag

.

n e t iz in g than a hors e sho e magn e t in t h e hands o f

-

ignorant p e rsons and n e arly all w h o u s e it ar e ign o

,

rant for no o n e consid e rs th at t h e O pposit e pol e s hav e

,

O pp o sit e influ e nc e s and that t h e human body has its

,

opposit e pol e s which ar e di ffe r e ntly a ffe cte d by t h e

s am e p o w e rs I hav e always s ee n t h e magn e t us e d
.

without any r e gard t o t h e distinct natur e s O f t h e t w o

pol e s o n e O f which caus e s e ffe cts dir e ctly t h e r e v e rs e
,

o f t h os e produc e d by t h e oth e r T h e cons e qu e nc e s O f

.

Simultan e ous s o r e t ic and n e m e t ic influ e nc e s ar e som

n am buli s m and cramp s e xisting tog e th e r T h e m e tal .

as distinct from t h e magn e t is strongly Od positiv e and ,

-

works s o r e t ically o n t h e positiv e pol e o f t h e body and ,

t h e hand which holds t h e m agn e t adds its influ e nc e

which pours th rough t h e m e tal : Thus t h e hors e sho e -

is a combination o f all possibl e o d in flue n ce s wh ich -

,

might be e xp e cte d to produc e t h e confus e d e fl e c t Oh

'

s e rv e d t o follow its us e And th e r e for e al l hig h s en

.
-

s i t iv e s abh o r it an d with abundant r e ason

, .
66 SO MN AMB U LI S M AND CR AMP

51 . By green ligh t — All highly . nsitiv e p e r so ns se

find t h e influ e nc e o f t h e gr e e n rays o f t h e sp e ctru m

disagr e e abl e avoid th e m and s u ffe r wh e n subj e cte d t o
, ,

th e m Miss Kru e g e r r e p e at e dly fe ll into s o m n am bu

.

lis m and cramps wh e n s h e allow e d t h e gr e e n rays O f

t h e moon s p e ctrum t o fall upon h e r for efi ng e r
-
I shall .

find faul t with n o o n e w h o may laugh at this as s e rtion ,

and im agin e that t h e a ffection w as m e r e ly imaginary

fo r s o long as I did n o t und e r s tand t h e matt e r I tr eat
e d i t in t h e s am e way Bu t now I und e rstand t h e co n
.

n ec t io n o f ca us e and e ffe ct in th e s e ph e nom e na G r e en .

i s n o t a simpl e color it i s not e v e n a comp o u nd bu t

only a mix e d light If w e min gl e fi n e y ell o w po wd er
.

an d fi n e blu e powd e r tog e th e r t h e r e sult will be a ,

powd e r which appe ar s gr ee n ; but th e r e is nothi n g

gr ee n th e r e T h e whol e mass r emains a mix t ur e O f
.

fi n e blu e and y e llow particl e s T h e r e d and y ell ow

.

rays in t h e s p e ctrum ar e o d positiv e and t h e blu e n e-

, ,
’

g at iv e ; an d th e y e fi e ct s e nsitiv e s acc ordin gly If blu e .

is cool to t h e l e ft fing e r and y e llow l uk e warm th en

,

a mixtur e O f blu e and y e llow should e x e rcis e n em e t ic

and s o r e t ic influ e nc e s at t h e sam e tim e ; and if t h e p er
s o n e xp e rim e n t e d upon t h e highly s e n s itiv e t h e r e sul t ,

sho ul d be somn amb ulis m and cramp at t h e sam e t im e .

S uch ar e pr e cis ely t h e e ffe cts O f t h e gr e e n rays up o n

t h e s e nsiti v e organization as Ih ad r e p e at e d O ppor t un
,

iti e s for Obs e rvi ng in Miss Kru e g e r It is sc arc ely .

possibl e t o d e sir e a pur e mor e conclus iv e or mor e , ,

b e autiful e xampl e of instantan e ous production of th e s e

t w o O pposing stat e s o f t h e n e rvous syste m .

Mrs K ien es be rg er was afl e ct e d so much by a crowd

.

o f p e rsons n e ar h e r that o n r e turning from a ball o r

,

the atr e s h e h as oft e n fall e n into s omnambul ism o r

,
 SO M N AMBUL I S M A ND CR AMP I N C ONJ UNC TI ON . 07

cramp just as happ e n e d t o Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r w h e n

,

s urround e d by s tud e nt s at t h e Clinical In stitut e .

It h as r e p e at e dly o ccurr e d that afte r I had mad e a

v ari e ty o f odic e xp e rim e nts o n highly s e nsitiv e p e rsons ,

th ey hav e had attacks o f s o m n am bulis m and cramp an

e

h o ur o r t w o lat e r Of this I had exampl e s in Mrs J o

. .

anna An s ch u e t z M r s K o w at s Miss e s Bey e r Martha

,
.
, ,

Le o po ld e r and many oth e rs

,
T h e s e r e sults w e r e mor e
.

lik e ly to occur if I follow e d up a particular e xp e rim e nt ;

that nam ely O f trying t h e rang e o f t h e influ e nc e O f my
, ,

d o ubl e pass e s T h e s ensitiv e s ubj e ct w as th e n usually

.

plac e d thr e e o r four rooms distant from wh e r e I was ,

and I mad e pass e s at various distanc e s till my influ e nc e

c o uld n o long e r be felt Thus I l e arn e d t h e rang e o f
”

’
my pa s s e s and t h e d e gr ee o f t h e s ubj e ct s s e nsitiv e n e ss .

In th e s e exp e rim e nts my influ e nc e though w e ak was , ,

n e c e ssarily both s o r e t ic and n e m e t ic ; and it su ffi c e d

to throw high s e nsitiv e s into s o mnambul ism and cramps .

Mrs K o w at s fe lt this e ffe ct so plainly that no pl e ading

.

could induc e h er t o tak e part in any mor e odic e xpe

r im e n t s .

Th e s e e xampl e s s u fli ce to e stablish t h e fact that s o m

n am bu lis m an d c r am p s m ay an d of t en d o ex is t t oge t her
, ,

in the hum an bod y; and that s u ch s tates of j o i n t o ccup a -

s t r en gt h ar e exer cis ed at t he s am e t im e .
68 SO MN AMBU LIS M A ND CR AMP .

E R VI .

RE LATI ONS OF SO M N AM BU LI S M AND CR AMP .

§52 . T h eir in fluen ce o n each o m en —Se nsitiv e pe r

s ons who ar e subj e ct t o somn amb ul ism ar e rar e ly a t ,

tack e d by cramps alon e T h e cramp is usually a e co m

.

a n i e d or follow e d by somn ambulic sl e e p Wh en a

p .

s e v e r e cramp was ab out to attack Miss R e ich e l s h e as ,

a g e n e ral rul e fe ll s om e tim e pr e vio u sly into s e mn am

,

b ul is m , r e main e d in that stat e as long as t h e cramps

las te d and for s e v e ral hours afte rwards Befor e t h e
,
.

attack cam e o n s h e was lo w spirit e d and w e ak aft e r

-

it had passe d s h e was liv e ly and good hum or e d whil e

,

in somnambul ism as t h ough s h e had b ee n r e fr e sh e d

,
.

T h e cramp had evid e n tly r e li e v e d h e r from a pain from ,

an O ppr e ssiv e fee ling which had w e igh e d upon h e r .

Misse s At zm an n s d o r fe r G ir t le r W e igand and Kru eg e r

, , ,

wh e n I obs e rv e d th e m alway s b e cam e s omnambulic

,

b e for e falling into cramps and r e main e d in that con

,

dition for som e tim e aft e r t h e spasms had pass e d Mrs . .

K ie n es ber ge r fr e qu e ntly sl e pt t e n o r tw e lv e hour s

qui e tly bu t talkativ e aft e r h e r attacks o f cramp F r e d
, .

e rick W e idlich r e mains somn ambulic for s e v e n days

afte r an attack o f cram p Mrs Kr ebs w h il e s o m n am

. .
,

b u lic for w e e ks to g e th e r at a tim e had to nic cramps ,

in h e r arms and l e gs e v e ry morning for ab out an ho u r

,
 MU T U A L RE LATI ONS OF SO MNAM BUL I S M AND CR AM P . 69

’
b egi nn ing at t en o clock T h e n um e rous cramps o f
.

Miss Bey e r always e nd e d in somnambulism so far as ,

my obs e rvation w e nt Miss Zin ke l who has b e com e

.
,

a somnambulist onl y of lat e O fte n told m e that w h e n ,

cramps of t h e stomac h caus e d by handling m e tallic

,

substanc e s o r by sitting fo r a long tim e with h e r b ack

to t h e w e st had l e ft h e r th e y w e r e succ ee d e d by a
, ,

cooln e ss that chang e d to a p e culiar drowsin e ss T h is .

last s e nsation was v e ry strong and if s h e submitte d t o ,

it s h e fell as le e p and sl e pt for an hour at t h e e n d O f

'

, ,

which t im e warmth b egan th e n a light sw e at cam e on

, ,

and wi th this s h e awok e All th e s e ph e nom e na ar e O f

.

a pur e ly so m nambulic characte r Of lat e Miss Zin k el .

has su ffe r e d much from illn e ss and h e r s ensitiv e n e ss ,

has b e co m e much mor e acut e S h e has O ft e n fall e n into

.

somnambulism and t h e most viol ent cramps at t h e sam e

ti m e If s h e b e cam e somnambulic t h e cram ps b e gan
.
,

half an hour afte rwards th e n c e as e d aft e r an hour o r

, ,

half an hour again cam e o n and again c e as e d ; t h e ,

Sl ee p b e ing unbrok e n Thus whol e nights w e r e pass e d

.

in constant chan g e In most cas e s t h e cramp b e gan

.
,

in t h e bow el s and pass e d as rigid s pasms into t h e

,

limb s and th e n chang e d to s omnambulism o r t h e two

, ,

s tat e s b e gan at t h e sam e tim e H ow e v e r th e r e w e r e

.
,

cas e s wh e r e in mild cramps cam e o n alon e and pass e d ,

o ff without t h e app e aranc e o f somnamb u lism ; but th e s e

ca s e s w e r e comparati v e ly fe w .

T h e caus e s O f thi s kind o f r e flex mo v e m e nt may be -

diffe r e nt in t h e various cas e s ; but i t is c e rtain that

th ey us ually lie in t h e odic dualism o f t h e hum an body
and in its t h r ee fold odic ax e s T h e influ e nc e whic h i s .

s o r e t ic upon o n e pol e i s n e m e t ic upon anoth e r and ,

thus may induc e cramp and s omnambulism at t h e sam e

70 SO MN AMB U LIS M AND CR AM P .

t im e G r e at cauti o n is n e c e ss ary in formi ng an opin

.

ion upon particular cas es to tak e in t o account all t he

various influ e nc e s and to giv e to e ach o n e of the m its
prop e r importanc e It is possibl e and not improbabl e
.

that t h e e x e rtion Of an influ e nc e upon o n e po l e its elf

cr e ate s a coun t e rbalancing acti on at t h e opposi te pol e ,

as has b e e n O bs erv e d in magn e tism and e l e ctricity

but I hav e m a de no satisfactory O bs e rvations o n thi s
point and th e r e for e cont e nt mys e lf with m e r e ly sug
,

g e s t in
g it as a mat t e r not to b e ov e rlook e d .

53 . Cram ps caused by s ligh t so retic in fluences .

H igh s ens i t iv es may be thrown into cramp by caus e s

so slight that physician s canno t be t o o car e ful Th e r e
, .

is a gr e at diffe r e nc e in t h e odic influ e nc e s o f t h e

m e thod s in which t h e hands may be gra s p e d o f t h e ,

mod e s in whi ch pass e s may be mad e ov e r t h e various

limbs ; and variations whi ch ar e scarc e ly p e rc e ptibl e
and which ar e not thought of may produc e v e ry dissi
,

m i lar e ffe ct s on s e nsitiv e s F o r instanc e wh e n I gav e

.
,

my hand in t h e most favorabl e position t o Miss e s

Bey e r and Zin k el t h at is my right in th e ir l e ft fing e r
, ,

o n fing e r and ins id e to insid e crossing downwards I

, , ,

suppos e d that all mus t be w e ll and that all t h e condi

,

tions n e ce ssary fo r a comfo rtabl e po sition w e r e Obs e rv

ed . Bu t th e r e w as som e thing wrong If t h e po ints .

’
O f t he s ens itiv e s finge rs e xte nd e d beyond min e e v e n ,

fo r t h e l ength o f but half t h e last joint thoug h t h e ,

w h ol e hand fe lt t h e n e m e t ic influ e nc e ye t t h e littl e pro

,

j ect in g fing e r points w e r e a ffec t e d s o r e t ically ; th ey

b e cam e warm and fe lt uncomfortabl e and if t h e s e n si ,

tiv e w as un usually se n sitive my continuing to hold t he

,
72 SO M NAMBUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

again Br e athing and blowin g upon Miss Zin kel had

.

t h e sam e e ffe ct W h il e s h e h ad cramps o f t h e br e ast

. ,

s h e fe lt t h e gr e ate st r e li e f from my br e ath ing but this ,

d urst not last mor e t h an a quarte r o f a minute so far

it was e xc e e ding r e fr e shing v e ry cool and cramp h e al
,
-

ing and all rigidity loos e d itse lf at onc e but now it

,

was n e c e ssary that I s h ould stop oth e rwise warmth ,

would follow t h e cooln e ss an O ppr e ssiv e fe eling cam e

,

ov e r t h e brain and t h e cramps brok e o u t again mor e

s e v e r e ly than b e for e having be e n call e d back by im
,

pr Ope r tr e atm e nt T o und e rstand all th e s e r elations

.

accurat e ly is cl e arly a matt e r o f t h e first imp o rtanc e

t o th e rap e utics .

By part-pass es — I witn e ss e d si m ilar r es u lts

55 . .

with Miss es Bey e r Zin ke l and oth e r wh e n I mad e

,

pass e s ov e r th e ir arms and l egs during cramp and car e

l e ssly stopp e d t h e pass e s at t h e wrists o r ankl e s in t h e
haste to mak e n ew pass e s T h e scarc e ly subdu e d .

cramps brok e o u t again imm e diat ely without my b e ing ,

abl e t o compr eh e nd t h e caus e This was t h e influ e nc e.

”
of part pass e s w h ich I did n o t l e arn to und e rstand
-
,

until lat er T he incompl e t e passe s e x e rcis e d a s o r e t ic

.

influ e nc e o n t h e e xtr e miti e s of t h e limbs and t h is r e ac ,

t io n ar y influ e nc e incr e as e d with e v e ry pass until it ,

b e cam e as strong as t h e m e m e tic influ e nc e high e r up ,

and t h e n thr e at e n e d to w eigh it down .

Anoth e r striking e xampl e is t h e following : Whil e

Miss Z in ke l allow e d h er hands to hang down I pl ac e d ,

’
my unlik e fing e r points against h e r s touc h ing th e m ,
.

At first t h e influ e nc e was cool and pl e asant on both

hands afte rwards th is s e nsation disapp e ar e d and n er
vous indi ffe r e nc e s e t in S till lat e r luk e warmn e ss
.
, ,
 M U T U AL R E L ATI ONS OF SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AM P 7 3 .

discomfort a worm lik e cr e e ping s ensation follow e d

,
-

th e n pain s in t he stomach t hr e at ening to chang e into ,

cramp and I abandon e d t h e e xp e rim e nt F o r t h e

,
.

corr e ctn e ss of t h e s e o b s e rvations I found a count e r ,

proof with odic light I plac e d my rig h t hand in .

Miss Zin kel s l e ft in t h e dark chamb e r Both imm e

’
, .

diat ely b e cam e mor e luminous than b e for e and t h e ,

s e nsation was agr e e abl e Bu t t h e light s oon gr e w

.

dull and in half a minut e both hand s, b e cam e in v is

, , ,

ibl e t h e cooln e ss disapp e ar e d and disagr e e abl e luk e ,

warmn e ss succ ee d e d If t h e hand grasp continu e d

.
-
,

h er hand fe lt t h e worm lik e cr e e ping and pains o f t h e

-
,

s tomach and incipi e nt cramp follow e d In all th e s e .

cas e s th e r e was an ov e rcharg e o r rath e r th e r e was an , , ,

O pposit e misc h arg e wh e r e by positiv e Od was lad e n

,

upon t h e n e gati ve fing e rs and n e gativ e o d o n t h e p o

s it iv e fing e rs thus cr e ating an artificial lik e n e ss O f
,

o dic polarity in t h e O pposit e limbs and inducing s e c ,

o n d ar y s o r e t ic r e actio n s with incipi e nt cramps .

Whil e Miss Bey e r w as in h e r mo s t impr e ssibl e con

dition in my hous e it ofte n happ e n e d that wh e n I
, ,

gav e h er a good n e m e t ic pas s down o v e r e ith e r t h e

right o r l eft arm s h e fe lt an agr e e ably cool s e n s ation
, ,

and ye t t h e arm b e cam e cramp e d F o r a long tim e I .

could not und e r s tand this At last wh e n I had in v e s .

,

t ig at e d t h e part pass e s and l e arn e d to know th e ir m e an

ing t h e matt e r was cl e ar to m e and I could divid e
, ,

t h e ph e nom e na into th e ir e l e m e nts I had n ev e r mad e .

t h e pa s s with p e dantic e xactn e ss o u t b e yond th e out e r

most points O f th e fing e rs but I had only gon e t o t h e ,

hand o r partly ov e r it Wh e n w e e xamin e t he ih

, .
“

fl u e n ce Of t h e part pass e s w e s e e that as n e arly all t h e

-
, ,

m e sm e ric physicians do I cr e ate d an ag r e e a bl e n e m e

,
74 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

tic influ e nc e ov e r t h e whol e arm but charg e d t h e hand

,

and fing e rs s o r e t ically by allowing my pass t o stop

wh e n it r e ach e d th e m My op e ration w as th e r e for e
.

incompl e t e and partial and whil e I s uppose d that I

,

was bringing t h e gr e at e st qui e t ov e r t h e s e nsitiv e per

s o n I h e ap e d upon t h e hands t h e mat e rial that wo ul d
,

e xcite cramps which wo ul d th e n br e ak o u t

,
to my ,

gr e at astonishm ent and tak e poss e ssion o f t h e wh o l e

,

arm It happ e n e d to m e in t h e s am e manne r with

.

part pass e s ov e r t h e thighs and fe e t and brought m e to

-

start back in fe ar from my own d e fe ctiv e art Wh e n .

in lat e r ex pe r M e n t s I car e fully l e ad t h e pass e s o u t

,

b eyond t h e poi n ts o f t h e fing e rs and to e s t h e cr amp ,

c e as e d t o app e ar in this mann e r .

56 . By pass es o ver th e r ecurrent n erves

A fourth —

not e worthy cas e of this kind happ e n e d with Miss Bey e r .

On e day I mad e downward pass e s ov e r h e r arm ; som e

tim e s s h e fe lt th e m agr e e abl e and cool and aft e rwards ,

disagr e e abl e and finally s h e fe lt cramp in h e r arm

,
.

On a clos e inve stigation it app e ar e d that t h e pass e s

,

w e r e always agr e e abl e and of a n e m et ic charact e r wh e n ,

I le d t h e m down ov e r t h e larg e n e rvous trunk on t he

in n e r arm Wh en I d e viat e d from that t h e influ e nc e
.

w as disagr ee abl e in plac e s Wh e n I clos ely e xamin e d

.

th e s e plac e s and t h e formation o f t h e n e rv e s in th e m ,

I found t h at invaria bly th e r e w e r e r e curr e nt s ubcu t a

n e o us n e rv e s th e r e in unusual str e ngth and with num e r

o us b ranch e s T h i s was particularly t h e cas e upon

.

t h e back o f t h e arm e sp e cially O f t h e upp e r arm

,
And .

if I con t inu e d to mak e pass e s ov e r h e r t h e girl fe ll ,

into somn ambulism with t e tanus in t h e arms Thus it

,
.

appe ars th at appar e ntly r egular downward pass e s ov e r

76 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

g e r , Zin k el , M r s Ki e n e s be r g e r
. and F r e d e rick W e idlich
sl e pt qui e tly in my h ous e som e of th e m for long p e ,

r io d s and n e v e r was th e r e any Sl e e p walking unl e ss

,
-

th e r e w e r e p e culiar irritations S uch irrita t ions h ow .

,

e v e r ar e n u m e rous int e rnal and e xt e rnal

, ,
T h e y always .

O p e rat e s o r e t ically som e of th e m o d n egativ e ly oth e rs

,
-
,

Od positiv e ly
-
.

S omnambulic sl e e p is usually pl e asant and r e fr e shing

lik e oth e r sound sl ee p Wh e n t h e sl e e p e rs ar e spok e n
.

t o th e y r e ply ch ee rfully in a fri e ndly happy mood

, , ,

whi ch is apt t o chang e t o t h e playf ul and j o k o s e Miss .

At zm an n s d o r fer was always much mor e ch e e rful and

fri e ndly in somnambul ism than wh e n awak e Miss .

R e ich e l usually grav e wh e n awak e was always fond

, ,

o f fun in somnambulism I n e v e r saw Mrs L e d e r e r

. .

o th e rwis e than v e ry s e rious or sad wh e n awak e but ,

as soon as t h e magic strok e has pass e d ov e r h e r and

thr own h er in to sl e ep s h e was fr e e d from all h e r car e s ;
,

t h e b ur d e ns and bonds o f life w e r e cast O ff and s h e w as

a chang e d p e rson liv e ly romping laughing and full o f
, , ,

play Wh e n h e r physician awak e n e d h er t h e s adn e ss

.
,

cause d by h er condition in life r e turn e d Miss e s At z ,

.

m an n s d o r fe r and Am e lia Kru eg e r whi l e in s o m n am bu

lis m d e scri be d th e ir condition to m e minut e ly th e y

O ft e n sai d that t h e mom e nt wh e n th e ir Sl e e p b e gan th ey
fe lt s e nsati o ns in th e ir brains as if th e y w e r e mad e
light e r and as a cons e qu enc e O f this t h e ir mood b e cam e
, ,

mor e c h e e rful ye s e v e n such b o dily pains as t h e y migh t

, ,

hav e we r e e ith e r much r e li ev e d o r driv e n e ntir ely

,

away Mi ss Kru ege r d e scri b ed t he condition of ordi

.

'

nary dr e amin g as v e ry di fi e r e n t from that o f s o m n am

bulic dr e am t h e form e r s h e said was fill e d wit h
wo rldly gri efs an d car es and was o ft e n mor e painful
 MU T U AL REL ATI ONS OF SO MN AM BULI S M AND CR A M P 7 7 .

fo r poor p e opl e t h an r e al life ; somnamb ulism was a

car e fr e e happy state wh e r e e v e r yth ing app e ar e d in
-
, ,

ros e color e d l i ght ; all sorrows all injustic e suffe r e d

-
, ,

and oth e r car e s w e r e t h e r e tak e n v e ry lightly and if ,

s h e happ e n e d to r e m e m be r anything t h e thought o f ,

which co ul d pain h e r s h e pass e d laughingly ov e r it

, ,

always turning towards ch e e rfulne ss and jollity Th e s e .

ar e h e r o w n words as s h e spok e th e m to m e whil e in

,

t h e somnambulic sl e e p which s h e was d es cribing It .

i s w e ll known that t h e s omnambulists O fte n s ing and

that th e y giv e th e ms e lv e s up to amusing r e marks if ,

th e y ar e n o t disturb e d I fo u nd how e v e r that thi s

.
, ,

condition o f good humor is di ffe r e nt from sound goo d ,

Sl ee p only in d e gr e e I know from much e xp e ri e nc e

,
.
,

that I mys e lf far r e mov e d from all somnambulism wh e n

, ,

in d ee p sl e e p s ee e v e rything in ros e color e d light am ,

fri e ndly towards my bitte r e st e n e mi e s and hav e t h e ,

kind e st fe e lings towards th e m Th e s e good humor e d .

moods must th e r e for e b e long t o sound sl e e p o f which

somnambulism is only an e xaltation .

59 . n am bul i s m un der acti ve o dic influences

So m .

T h e cours e o f somnambulism is di ffe r e nt how e v e r wh e n

it i s influ e nce d by o d It gains d e pth an d str e ngth
.
,

and t h e r e fo r e comfort wh e n it is support e d and assist

,

e d by n e m e t ic tr e atm e nt M any ill s e nsitiv e s w e r e

.

unabl e t o sl ee p unl e ss t h e y w e r e aid e d by downward

pass e s Miss S t ur m an n has to be s e rv e d e v e ry e v e ning
.

’
at nin e or t e n o clock with som e pass e s by h e r physi
ci an P rofe s sor Lipp ich at a distanc e o f arm s l e ngth
’
, , ,

b e for e s h e can go to sl e e p I hav e oft e n b e e n pr e s e n t

.

o n th e s e o ccas ions and saw h o w liv e ly s h e was as

,

though s h e did not think of sl e e p but aft e r t h e right

78 SO MNAMBULI S M A ND CR AM P .

hand of h er ph ysician had mad e thr e e o r four passe s

ov e r h er s h e was fast asl e e p in somnam bulism In
,
.

n um e rabl e tim e s by o n e O r t w o pass e s I t h r e w Miss

At zm an n s d o r fe r into sl e e p in t h e e v e ning and s h e sank ,

in somnam bulism upon h e r couch ; and I mig h t s ay t he

sam e o f Mrs Kr ebs Miss G ir t ler and Cath arin e R upp
.
,
.

Miss N owotny was always mad e to sl e e p by pass e s

with magn e ts an d s h e l e arn e d t h e u s e o f t h os e in s t r u
,

m e nts so w ell that s h e us e d to g o to sl e e p by makin g

pas s e s ov e r h e rs e lf with th e m .

60 Cha
. n e fr om w a k i
g
n g t o s o m n am buli s m — T he
ch ang e from t h e waking condition to somnambulic
sl e e p was n ev e r a lo n g and gradual o n e bu t a sudd e n ,

l e ap in an imm e asurably bri e f tim e I hav e O fte n

, .

s e e n s e nsitiv e s br e ak o ff in t h e midst o f a s ente nc e ,

h aving c h ang e d from waking to sl e e p T his was t h e .

cas e wit h Miss e s At zm an n s d o r fe r S t ur m an n W e igand

, , ,

N owotn y R e ich el Bey e r and Kynast I h av e h e r e to

, ,
.

for e told h ow Miss e s R e ich el Bey e r At zm an n s d o r fe r

, , ,

S tu r m ann and Kr eb s prais e d t h e comfort o f h aving a

fe w p ass e s mad e ov e r th e m a ft e r t h ey h ad fall e n asl e e p ,

particularly just b e for e o n e l e ft th e m and oft e n

wh e n I was about to go t h ey w ould say : D o giv e m e o n “

”
ly a fe w pass es I be g so that I may sl e e p soundly Much
, , .

mor e compl e x ar e t h e influ e nc e s o f s o r e t ic tr e atm e nt on

p e rso n s in somnambulic sl e e p I h av e alr e ady spok e n of
.

t h e cas e s wh e r e s e n sitiv e s h av e b ee n th rown into cr amp

in thi s mann e r and n o w I am to sp e ak o f t h e w e ak e r
e fl e c t s causing slight distur banc e s o f t h e sl e e p
'

.
,

61 . On e o f t h e
In fluen ce o f p o s i t i o n in
l s eep . -

low e st e ffe cts of th is class is th at fel t by t h e s o m n am

bu l is t wh e n h e li e s On his rig h t sid e wit h h is back ,
 80 SO MNAM BU LI S M A ND CR AMP .

This agr ee s with t h e influ e nc e which might be exp ect e d

fr om t h e Od positiv e rays of t h e moon and t h e o d n e
- -

g at iv e rays O f t h e sun If s h e was how e v e r in som

.
, ,

n am bulis m wh e n s h e w as e xpos e d to t h e moonlight i t ,

irritat e d h e r d e priv e d h er o f h er good hum or and

,

mad e h er quick to g e t an gry .

Miss An g elica S t ur m an n at a tim e o f full moon , ,

was in t h e habit o f g e tting up ev e ry night te aring ,

O p e n h er faste n e d windows and clamb e rin g along t h e

,

sid e o f t h e hous e o n a narrow proj e ction o f t h e w all

, ,

wh e nc e a fall to t h e pav e m e nt b e low would hav e ce r

t ain ly ki ll e d h e r ; and o n e e v e ning an att empt w as
mad e whil e s h e was somnambul e t o comp e l h er t o
, ,

promi s e n o t t o g e t o u t o f t h e wind o w that night but

s h e positiv e ly and stubbornly r e fus e d to mak e such a

promis e S h e ass e rt e d confid e ntly that s h e would not

.

fall down and s h e add e d with an e xpr e s s ion O f d e

,

light that t h e m o on was a sourc e o f such pl e asur e t o

,

h e r s h e co ul d n o t d e ny it t o h e r s e lf ; s h e must be al
low e d t o e njoy it A watch was s e t upon h e r and t h e
.

’
window was ti e d fast T he moon ros e at two O clock
.
,

and s h e th e n in h e r sl ee p and whil e t h e watchm an

,

sl e pt to r e t h e cur tains and bands away O p e n e d t h e

, ,

window and w e nt o u t in h e r nigh t gown upon t h e

,
-
,

cornic e wh e r e h e r n e ck e rchi e f was foun d t h e n e xt

,

morning and o n which s h e must hav e clamb e r e d round

,

t h e ho us e .

L ady Baron e ss V o n N ato rp did n o t k n ow t h at s h e

was r e stl e ss at nigh t On e morning s h e could not
.

compr eh e nd what had b e com e O f t he nig h t gown -

which s h e had put o n t h e e v e ning b e for e and s h e w as ,

told it had b ee n found in t h e hall down stairs T h i s .

happe n e d during a night O f b e autiful moons h ine S he .

 M UT U A L REL ATI ONS OF SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AM P . 81

watch e d h e rs e lf and obs e rv e d that many littl e c h an g e s

,

w er e mad e in h e r hous e h old— chang e s which nobody

sav e h e rs e lf could hav e mad e and o f which s h e had
e t no r e cOlle c t i o n F inally it was discov e r e d that
y .

all th e s e thing s w e r e don e whil e s h e was sl e ep walking -

,

and always wh e n t h e moon was full .

Miss N o w o t n y O ft e n assur e d m e that t h e moon e x er

cis e d n o influ e nc e o n h e r Onc e s h e lay for a lo n g
.

tim e in be d and wh e n s h e at last go t up and O p e n e d

,

h e r writing d e sk s h e found a half finish e d purs e

,

an d s e v e ral half finish e d l e tt e rs in h e r hand but s h e ,

kn e w nothing o f th e ir comm e nc e m e nt T h e l e tt e rs .

w e r e date d t h e 3 rd 4t h and 5t h March days w h ich

, , ,

had pass e d s e v e ral w e eks pr eviously I look e d back .

in t h e almanac and found that t h e moon was full o n

t h e 4t h March . Sh e had th e r e for e und e rtak e n all
th e s e things whil e walking in h er Sl ee p and s h e was ,

not a littl e astonis h e d at t h e discov e ry Miss e s At z .

m an n s d o r fer and R e ich e l w e r e always v e ry un e asy at

full moon walk e d about in t h e ir sl e e p clamb e r e d about

, ,

up o n roofs and did oth e r dang e rous things A sl e e p .

waking baron e ss whos e nam e I am not p e rmitt e d t o

u s e wrot e from t h e n e ighborhoo d o f V i e nna to h e r
,

physician in t h e city urg e ntly r e qu e sting him to com e

,

t o s ee h e r
. He w ent but s he kn e w noth ing o f t h e le t
,

t e r and s h e was struck with t e rror w h e n s h e saw h e r

,

o w n hand writing without b e ing abl e to compr e h e nd

-
,

h o w such a t h ing could hav e happ e n e d It w as di s co v .

e r e d that s h e fe ll into somnambulism e v e ry night

about t w o o clock and in that stat e whil e t h e moon

’
,
.

happ e n e d t o be full wr ote t h e l e tt e rs as stat e d M ax

,
.

Kru eg e r cr e at e d disturbanc e s in t h e Orphan Asylum

ig
wh e r e h e w as br e d by ge tting up in moonl ht n ights
,
82 S OM NAM BUL IS A
I A ND R AM P
C .

and walking in h is sl e e p Mrs Kr eb s ros e from h er

. .

be d in t h e moonlig h t walk e d about jump e d ov e r ta

, ,

b l e s clamb e r e d up upon doors and so forth

,
Miss .

Kru eg e r was strongly a ffe ct e d by moonshin e s h e

"

always w e nt in h er sl e e p t o enjoy it at t h e window ,

and woul d atte mpt to go o u t bu t if s h e was not p er

,

m i t t e d to d o this by h e r s e rvant s h e would for t h e ,

purpos e O f obtaining t h e cons e nt o f t h e latt e r assur e ,

h e r that s h e would not fall

.
Miss G ir t ler had to be
.

close ly watch e d during full moon for s h e was v e ry ,

r es tl e s s at night and would und e rtak e t h e most daring

thi ngs On such a nig h t I saw h e r in a singular e xcite
.

m e nt whic h if n o t car e fully watch e d would have le d

,

to v e ry dan g e rous adv e ntur e s and s h e did e v e rything

,

with such activity that h e r mov e m e nts could scarc e ly

be follow e d Miss Winte r in h e r most susc e ptibl e tim e
.

happ e n e d to be in G ra e tz T h e comm unicati ons w h ich

.

I r e c e iv e d from various oth e r p e rsons about h er con

duct in t h e moonligh t at th is tim e afl r igh t e d m e He r .

r e stl e ss and viol e nt actions caus e d an uproar not only

at t h e hom e w h e r e s h e was s t e pp in g but t h e whol e ,

str e e t If s h e was r e sist e d s h e s e iz e d h e r maid watch

.

e r struck h e r and in h e r paroxysms show e d such an

, ,

e xtraordin ary str e ngth t h at s h e thr e w down t h e strong

es t m en who finally w e r e struck wit h fe ar at th e s e

,

appar e ntly sup e rnatural things Many o f my s ensi .

t iv e s who w e r e not somnambulists had broth e rs o r

,

sis t e rs w ho w e r e sl eepwalk e rs and un e asy at tim e s O f

,

full moon t h us P rofe ssor R o e sn e r had a broth e r and

Ch e vali e r H u be rt v o n R ain e r w as o n e o f s e v e n c h ild
r e n o f w h om four two of e ac h s e x as w e ll as t h e ir
, ,

fath e r w e r e all somnambulists and caus e d much both e r

,

o n that account in th e ir hous e .

84 SO MN AM BUL I S M AND CR AMP .

t he approach of mys e lf o r oth e rs cause d an im m e diat e

dr owsine ss which soon chang e d t o an irr e sistibl e s l ee p .

The r e ar e also o n t h e oth e r sid e s ensitiv es w h o ar e ,

e qually susc e ptibl e t o stomach ach e s to mach cramp -

,
-
,

fits o f m e grim h e ad ach e and cramps o f all kin d s and -

, ,

to a s imilar d e gr ee Th e s e ar e chi e fly d e mi s e nsitiv e s

.
-
,

su ch a s Mrs Joann a An s ch u e t z Mrs Mu e ll e r Mrs

.
,
.
,
.

Pr e in r e ich L ady Baron e ss v o n N ato rp Mis s e s v o n

, ,

W e ige lsb e rg G las e r Zin kel M e ssrs G ustav An s ch u e tz

, , ,
.
,

F icht n e r Tirka Jos e ph Czabek Kl e in Kollar Kots

, , , , ,

chy D r L o e w Mr Be lh e z D r Machold D r M ie
,
.
,
.
,
.
,
.

lichho fer Barons H e nry and Augu st v o n Ober laen d er

, ,

Councillor P au e r Ch e vali e r v o n S idorowi cz Mr , , .

S tur m an d many oth e rs

,
Th e r e app e ars h e r e t o be a.

k ind o f O ppo s ition among s e nsitiv e s som e b e ing mor e ,

in clin e d t o somnamb ul i s m and oth e rs t o cramp lik e -

a ffe ctions T h e wom e n s e em t o be mor e subj ect t o

.

s omn ambulism and m e n t o pain s o f t h e h e ad and st e m

,

ach and from this w e may in fe r that t h e fe mal e s ex

is mor e e asily a ffe ct e d by n e gativ e and n em e t ic in
fl u en ces and t h e mal e by positiv e and s o r e t ic
, S uch .

at l e ast is t h e g en e ral d e ducti on from t h e statistics o f

my s e nsitiv e s This in flu e nc e i s how e v e r n o t s ufli
.
, ,

ci e n t ly e stab lish e d t o be r e l i e d upon and I m e ntion i t ,

h e r e only as an aid to furth e r inve stigation .

6 5 Perio d icity. —S o m
. nambu li sm and cram ps s ee m ,

wh e n obs e rv e d supe rficially to comm e nc e with out r eg ,

ular i ty as to tim e This s ee min g h o w ev e r is d u e

,
.
, ,

alto g e t h e r t o t h e fact th at at e v e ry mom e nt th e r e ar e

un e xpe c t e d and accid e ntal e xt e rnal irritations whi ch ,

caus e v iol e nt attacks o f somnambulism and cramp out

o f se aso n Bu t if w e car e fully O bs e rv e t h e facts and
.
, ,
 M UT U AL REL ATI ONS o r SO M NAM BUL I S M AND CR AMP . 85

e xclud e t he accid e ntal and stro n g attacks upon t h e

fr ee d e v e lopm e n t o f natur e w e Shall s ee an un m is ,

tak e abl e and r e gular p e riodicity r e v e al e d Miss .

N owotny had h e r attacks o f cramp e v e ry day at 6 ,

P M and t h e hour chang e d gradually as t h e days

. .
,
’
gr e w long e r in t h e spring to 7 O clock s o long as
, , ,

e v e rything was qui e t in t h e h o us e But wh e n distur b .

anc e and m e ntal e xcit e m e nt was brought in from

without t h e attacks cam e o u t o f s e ason at midday and
, ,

in t h e afte rnoon Wh e n e v e rything was qui e t Miss

.
,

Kru e g e r fe ll asl e e p e v e ry day at noon T h e s am e w as .

t h e ca s e with Mrs K i e n e s be rg e r Mi s s Be y e r w e nt
. .

to sl e e p e v e ry e v e ning b e tw e e n 6 and 7 O clock I ,

’
.

found Miss W e igand in somnambulism e v e ry e v e ning

’
at 5 O clock .

Th e s e irritation s oft e n follow e d a c e rtain rhythm

thr o ugh t h e cours e of t h e day Thus Mis s Bey e r r eg .
‘

ul ar ly fe lt c o ol in t h e morning ; this disapp e ar e d in

t h e middl e o f t h e day and towards e v e ning h e r whol e

,

body w as warm and th e n t h e attacks o f cramp and

,

s omnambulism cam e o n .

§ 66 . T em pera ur e o f
t comm e th e bod y .— T h e
nc e

m e nt o f cramp as w e ll as o f s o mn ambulism
, wer e ,

always pr e c e d e d so far as I o bs e rv e d by col d in t h e

, ,

fee t and hands and warmth in t h e h e ad This w as

,
.

t h e rul e with Miss N owotny and h e r gradual cur e k ept ,

pac e with t h e r e storation of warmth in t h e fee t by ,

m e ans o f magn e ts F ri e drich W e idlich oft e n co m

.

plain e d about t h e constant coldn e ss o f his fe e t and

warmth o f his h e ad be for e his p eriodical attacks T h e
, .

d e ep e r t h e sl e e p O f Miss At zm ann s d o r fe r t h e c o ld e r ,

h er upp e r and low e r e x t r em e t ies but aft e r s h e awok e

86 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

she b ec am e p e rc e ptibly warm e r Miss Bey e r s hand s .

’

and fe e t w e r e always cold wh e n s h e fe ll into s o m n am

bu lis m in my hou s e and th e n t e tanus soo n follow e d
, ,
.

I obs e rv e d that with Miss Zin k e l cold limbs and a

warm h e ad always w e r e t h e for e runn e rs o f cramps ,

and whil e th e y last e d a p e rspiration brok e o u t upon

,

t h e h e ad This was what might hav e b ee n exp ecte d

.

fr om t h e s o r e t ic condition in whic h s h e was Bu t at .

,

t h e sam e tim e s h e was somnambul e and cons e qu e ntly

, ,

n e m e t ic Wh e n at las t t h e cramps pass e d Off and s h e

.
,

awok e th e r e was a frostin e ss and goos e fl e s h ov e r h e r

,
-

whol e body Th e s e did not disapp e ar for som e tim e

.
,

and w e r e caus e d by t h e n em e t ic influ e nc e w h ich had

e xclusiv e control aft e r t h e disapp e aranc e o f t h e cramp .

67 . Sw el lings .— A p e culiar but univ e rsal ph e n o

m e non in highly s e nsitiv e wom e n during fits o f s o m ,

n am bu lic cramp is a sw e lling ov e r t h e stomach imm e

, ,

diat e ly und e r t h e girdl e P e opl e think it a protrusion

.

o f t h e stomach and physicians e xpr e ss e d t h e sam e

,

opinion to m e T h e y b e li e v e d that t h e pilo r us and

.

t h e cardia had b e e n drawn tog e th e r by cramp and ,

t h e n gas d e v e lop e d in t h e stomach which was thu s ,

protrud e d th e r e b eing no exit for t h e gas I giv e t h e

,
.

e xplanation for what i t may b e worth but I hav e oft e n ,

ob s e rv e d t h e fact O f a sw elling ov e r t h e plac e o f t he

s t o mach Miss Zink el confe ss e d that th is ph e nom e non
.

always e nd e d with b e lching and that soon afte r air ,

e scap e d But a mor e sin g ular fact cam e to confirm

.

t h e opinion of t h e phys icians If this sw ell ing e xist e d

.

at a tim e wh e n Miss Zink e l atte mpt e d to drink wat e r ,

t h e liqui d could not g e t down into t h e stomach If I .

n o w pl ac e d t h e poin ts o f t h e right fin g e rs on t h e s w e ll
88 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

incr eas e d in Miss Bey e r wh e n any o n e s tand s o r s its

b ehind h er for a long tim e wh e n s h e e ats onions o r
, ,

wh e n upward pass e s ar e mad e ov e r h e r It is caus e d

.

by s o r e t ic influ e nc e s T h e ph e nom e non was so fr e qu e nt

.

in Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r th at littl e att e nti o n was paid

to it at last I O bs e rv e d its m e dium stag e s in many
.

s ensitiv e s but it was always accompani e d by cramps

,

o f t h e br e ast and stomach which I could cr e at e by

,

s o r e t ic tr e atm e nt with upward pass e s and s o long as

,

th ey had not got t h e upp e r hand I could disp e l it at

,

wi ll T he furth e r e xp lanation o f t h e pathology and

.

th e rap eutics O f t h e matt e r I must l e av e t o t h e phy s i

e iau s .
 COND ITI ON OF THE SENSES . 89

CH A P T E R V II .

C OND ITI ON OF T HE SENS E S .

68 . T o uch .— It
is w ell known that in s o m n am
bu lis m t h e e xt e rnal n e rv e s hav e lost mor e o r l e ss o f
th e ir acut e n e ss a condition which r e s e mbl e s that o f
,

s woon ,
narcosis numbn e s s i n e xtr e m e cold and t h e
, ,

s t at e o f a man whos e n e rv e s ar e cut o r ti e d up I .

hav e coll e ct e d many e xampl e s o f thi s ins e nsibility but ,

as thi s quality of somnambulists is w ell known I shall ,

giv e but a fe w o f th e m h e r e fo r t h e p urpos e o f s how

,

ing h o w compl e t e ly s e nsation is dormant Miss Re i .

ch e l whil e s omnambulic stuck pins into h er fl e sh e v e n

, , ,

in h e r hand s t o satisfy m e h o w littl e fee ling s h e had

,
.

I saw Mi s s N owotny s e v e r e ly pinch e d and prick e d by

phy s icians without h e r moving a muscl e I mys e lf
,
.

prick e d Miss es At zm an n s d o r fe r and S t u r m an n in t h e

arms with a p e nknife and th e y di d not wi nc e Whil e
, .

Miss Z in kel lay somnambulic in be d I took hair pins ,

-

fr o m h er h e ad and prick e d h e r with th e m in h e r arms ,

at many plac es and lac e rate d t h e fl e sh with th e m

, .

S he had h e r ey e s s h ut and did n o t Sh o w t h e l e ast sign

,

o f pain but finally ask e d m e why I was pricki ng h e r

, .

In r e ply t o my qu e s t ion wh e th e r s h e fe lt any pain s h e

, ,

”
s aid No .I c o nt in ue d t o prick h e r and n o w s he ,
90 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

w as o ffe nd e d not at any bodily pain but at t h e insult

, ,
.

It was e v id e nt from this t h at tho u gh s h e fe lt what I

w as doing t h e fe e ling was n o t accompani e d by pain
,
.

T h e s e nsory n e rv e s w e r e d e priv e d O f th e ir functions ,

but s h e had oth e r m e ans of p e rc e ption n o t w it h s t an d ,

ing h er clos e d e y e s Miss Bey e r was prick e d d e e ply

.

in h e r hands wi th n e e dl e s in my pr e s e nc e and pinch e d

, ,

till t h e blood cam e but h e r sl e e p was n o t disturb e d

,
.

Afte r s e v e ral w e eks had pass e d I ofte n tri e d t h e sam e ,

e xp e rim e nts u pon h e r and always found that t h e

,

n e rv e s o f t o uch w e r e inactiv e in t h e plac e s which I

w o und e d .

69 . Sm ell .—
Many cas e s hav e b ee n o b s e rv e d o f t h e
t e mporary loss of sm e ll during somnambulism I hav e .

tri e d Miss At zm an s d o r fe r in th at condition with spir

its o f ammonia and s ubstanc e s o f similar pu n g e nt
odor and th ey had no e ffe ct o n h e r Bu t I fo un d an
,
.

opposi t e cas e wh e n with out saying a word I plac e d

, ,

fo r m ichlo r o d e und e r Miss Be y e r s nos e

’
Al though Sh e .

did n o t fe e l t h e prick of a n e e dl e s h e r e cogniz e d t h e ,

pl e asant odor o f t h e chloroform and prais e d it and s aid ,

it mad e h e r sl e e p d e e p e r I think it pr o babl e that all

.

somnambulists can by th e ir sm e ll di stinguish b e twee n

t h e positiv e and n e gativ e pol e s o f t h e magn e ts e v e n ,

wh e n t h ey can sm e ll nothing e ls e ; bu t I hav e not ye t

mad e t h e exp e rim e nt Att ention m ust be paid to t he
.

lik e and unlik e sid e s O f t h e nostrils in this matt e r for ,

th e y hav e pol e s as w e ll as t h e magn e ts

, .

§ 70 . Hearin g — Wh e n Miss N o w o t n y lay in

. h er
attacks s h e h e ard nothin g so long as th e y last e d
,
Miss .

Kr u e g e r whil e in somnambuli s m usually co uld not

, ,
 92 SO MN AMB ULI S M AND CR AMP .

hand and s h e was astonish e d to h e ar th e m plain ly

, .

S he said t h e words cam e through h e r arm as through

a sp e aking tr ump e t an d had struck h e r e ar as if spok e n
,

with a loud v o ic e T h e sam e was t h e cas e with M rs

. .

Joanna An s ch u e t z I th e n advis e d h e r husband t o

.

sp e ak in h e r hand t h e n e xt tim e s h e should b e com e d e af .

Th e r e was soon an opportun ity for him to , try t h e

e xp e rim e nt and h e r e po rte d with joyful as tonishm e nt
,

that wh e n his wi fe was in h er d e af sl e e p so that s h e

could not h e ar h is loud es t outcri e s at h er e ar h e had ,

whisp e r e d lightly in t he hollow o f h er hand and s h e

un d e rstood him at onc e and answ e r e d hi m accompany ,

in g h e r r e ply with e xpr e ssiv e g e sti culations .

72 h . earin g in t he h an d. -
I
tri e d o th e r high an d
d e mi s e ns itiv e s who could n o t h e ar through the ir ears
-
, ,

by whi s p ering in th e ir hands I whi s p e r e d lig htly in

.

t h e hand o f Mrs L e d e r e r whil e som n amb ul ic

. she

h e ard m e v e ry plainly an d also us e d t h e expre ssion

,

that t h e sound cam e up to h er e ar thro u gh h er arm as

thro u gh a tub e Miss Kyn ast cl e arly h e ard t h e slight
.

e s t sound ru n ning up through h e r arm to t h e h e ad I .

whisp e r e d in t h e hands o f Mrs Joanna An s chu e t z in .

,

h e r or dinary conditi on Mrs K i e n e s be r ge r L ady Ba

,
.
,

ro n e s s v o n N atorp F ri e drich Be llm an Mr R a be an d

, ,
.

Councillor P au e r and all und e rstood m e although th e y

,

could n o t h e ar m e wh e n I spok e in t h e sam e to n e at

t h e sam e distanc e from th e ir e ars an d away from t h e ir
hands Miss D orfe r h e ard be tt e r through h er right
.

hand than thr ough h er l e ft h e r right sid e b e ing t h e

,

mor e s e nsitiv e Miss Be y e r in h e r waking condition

.

h e ard v e ry w e ll thr ough h e r hands wh e n in s o m n am

bulis m s h e h e ard w e ll wi th h e r e ars bu t be tte r throug h
 TH E COND ITI ON O F TH E S E NS E S . 93

h er hand s and could e v e n und e rstand m e wh e n my

,

whisp e rs w er e s o lo w that I mys e lf could not h e ar

th em Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r in somnambulism h ad
.

g oo d h e aring but wh e n I spok e in h er hand s h e h e ard

,

in two ways ; quickly in t h e ordinary way ; mor e

plainly and p e rc e ptibly slow e r through t h e hand Sh e .

fe lt t h e sound moving upwards thr o ugh h e r arm to

h er h e ad in a bri e f but m e asurabl e spac e o f tim e S h e .

thought t h e s ound was caught up rath e r by t h e fi n g er

p o ints than by t h e holl o w o f t h e hand S h e obs e rv e d
.

t o m e that s h e had l o ng known this from h e r o w n

e xp e ri e nc e and that it was h e r custom wh e n anxiou s
, ,

t o h e ar distinctly t o hold o u t h er hand s and fing e r s

,

towards t h e point wh e nc e t h e s o und cam e Anoth e r .

ti m e s h e told m e that in s o mn amb uli s m s h e h e ard e v e ry

thing l e ss cl e arly as though s pok e n in t h e distanc e
, ,

e xc e pt wh e n I Spok e in h e r hand and th e n Sh e h e ard

,

cl e arly Thi s i s charact e ri s tic o f t h e whol e condition

. .

We s ee that an o dic mov em e nt comm e nc e s at t h e fi n

e-
r point s and mov e s with its p e culiar slow n e ss u p t he
g
n e rv es o f t h e arm .

Thi s fact app e ars s till plain e r from t h e e xp e rim ent s

with Miss Zin kel I s p o k e in t h e hollows O f h er right
.

an d l e ft hand s and th e n spok e t h e s am e w o rd s upon

,

t h e uni t e d fi n g e r points o f both hand s tog e th e r and Sh e

-
,

h e ard t h e words spok e n th er e mor e cl e arly than thos e

s pok e n in t h e palms o f h e r hand s T h e s e at o f t h e
.

p e rc e pti o n fo r s oun d i s th e r e for e in t h e fi n ge r points -

.

I th en by turn s spok e upon t h e right and t h e l e ft

fi n ge r p o ints s h e p e rc e iv e d that s h e h e ard much cl e ar e r
-
,

o n t h e right than o n t h e l e ft s id e .T h e sound was t h e r e

for e p erc e iv e d mor e s tro n gly on t h e lik e than o n t h e
u nlik e pol e and thus prov e d its e lf t o b e lo n g to o n e pol e
,
.
94 SO M NAM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

F inally I spok e t o h e r alt e rnat ely upon t h e fin g e r

points and away from the m in e v e ry cas e holding my
,
’
mouth at t h e sam e distanc e from t h e s e nsitiv e s e ar and
Sp e aking in t he sam e dir e ction T h e r es ult w as that
.

wh e n I s poke u pon h e r right fing e rs s h e und e rstood

m e b e tt e r t h an wh e n I spok e in t h e air and b e tt e r

wh e n I Spoke in t h e air t h an wh e n I spok e o n t h e

l e ft fing e r points All th e s e facts go to show t h e
.

odic natur e of t h e se ph e nome na of h e aring .

H e r e a ph e nom enon accompanying those hith e rto

m e ntione d de s erv es a plac e Wh e n I spok e up o n t he
.

fi n g e r points o f som e se nsitiv e wom e n t h e y fe lt a s e n

-
,

sation similar to that of an upward p ass going u p

through t h e whol e arm und e r t h e should e r across t o
, ,

t h e nippl e of t h e br e ast wh e r e it conc e ntrate d and

,

pass e d o u t and imm e diat e ly afte rward s a similar

s e nsation pass e d downward through t h e l e gs following , ,

as d e scrib e d to m e t h e course o f t he sciatic n e rv e On

, .

t h e l e ft Sid e t h e s e nsation was disagr ee ably luk e warm

o n t h e right arm it w as l e ss unpl e a s ant T h e bar e .

br e ath did n o t produc e t h e sam e e ffe ct n e ith e r did low

,

sp e aking ; it r e quir e d t h e voic e T he p eculiar s e n s a

.

tion passing do w nwards through t h e fe e t and par t icu

lar ly in t he t o e s w as fe lt by Mis s Z in ke l and strong e r ,

in t he rig h t to e s t h an in t h e l e ft All this app e ars t o

.

b e in t h e high e st d e gr ee note worthy .

73 . Odie hearing at th e s t o m ach .— It

was t h e
s am e with t h e pit o f t h e stomach as wi th t h e hand .

Al l s e nsitive s upon whom I exp e rim e nte d wh e th e r in ,

somnambulism o r in t h e ir waking condition— Miss e s

R e ich e l At zm an ns d o r fer S t ur m an n Kynast M aix
, , , , ,

Mrs Ans ch u e t z K ie n es ber g e r F ri e drich W e idlich and

.
, , , ,
 96 SO MN AM BU LI S M A ND CR AMP .

lo w not es to t h e brain with such cl e arn e ss that w o rds

ar e b e tt e r un d e rstood through th e m than through t h e

e ar and e v e n und e r s tood w h e n t h e e ar e ntir e ly r e fus e s

,

to p e rform its duty in somnambulism That th e s e ph e .

n om e na ar e odic in t h e ir natur e i s s h own among oth e r

thing s by t h e influe nc e o f t h e s ounds on t he br e as t

nippl e s and fee t by t h e slown e ss o f i t s conduction an d
, ,

t h e charact e ristics o f polarity .

74 . T as t e r —S imilar
Obs e rvations hav e b ee n mad e
in r e gard to tast e and a few e xampl e s wi ll be giv e n
,

h e r e Wh e n Miss Be y e r had to handl e vin e gar o r lye

.

and g o t h e r fing e rs w e t wit h th em s h e taste d th e m in ,

h er mouth particul arly if s h e is in a susc e ptibl e con

,

dition— for instanc e during m e nstruation No t l o n g

, .

b e for e s he told m e this s h e had us e d som e o x gall in

,
-

washing and s h e could not fi nish h er work b e ca us e o f

, ,

t h e bitt e rn e ss o f t h e gall in h e r mouth Although s h e .

w ash e d h er hands O ff imm e diat e ly with s oap t h e bitte r ,

taste in h e r mouth ye t continu e d t w o days : t h e gall

h ad b ee n rubb e d into h e r skin and s o long as i t r e,

main e d so l ong s h e ta s t e d its bitt e rne ss on h er tongu e

, .

Whe n Mr F ic h tne r pass e d h is hand ov e r di rty o xy

.

diz e d brass h e fe lt t h e naus e ating tast e O f v e rdigris in

,

his mouth and he could n o t g e t r id o f this tas te till

,
'

h e had wash e d his hands with soap Wh e n I put an .

t i m o n y in Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r s hand s h e taste d i t s

’

bitte rn e ss in h e r mouth Miss e s Zin ke lbaie r and many

.

oth e rs had a Copp e ry tast e in th e ir mouth wh e ne v e r

th e y took copp e r m o n ey into t h e ir hands during m e n
s t r u at io n P rofe ssor von P e r ge r is lik e Mr F ichtn e r
. .

in r e gard to touc h ing brass ; an d if h e tak e s a pi e c e

 TH E C OND ITI ON OF T H E SENSES .
97

of iron in his hand h e fee l s an ir o n lik e taste in his

,
-

mouth S imilar ph e nom e na ar e obs e rv e d by all d e m i

.
o

s e nsitiv e s .

T h e physicians say t h is a co n s e n s u alit y o f t h e n e rv e s ,

but that is as muc h as to say th e y do n o t und e rstand

this p h e nom e na .

75 . Sigh t . —
N e arly all somnamb ulists k e ep th e ir
e y e s clos e d I saw th e m som e tim e s op e n only in Miss
.

Wint e r and Mrs L e d e r e r and Miss G ir t le r all o t h

, .
,

e r s k e pt th e m shut as in ordinary sl e e p I oft e n op e n e d .

th e ir e y e s by force —for instanc e in Miss e s S t ur m an n , ,

R e ich e l At zm an n s d o r fe r Bey e r and N o w o t n y ; t h e

, ,

pupils w e r e in som e turn e d upwards in oth e rs d o wn ,

wards in all t h e cas e s I c o uld touch t h e bar e whi t e s

o f t h e e y e s without th e ir app e aring t o fee l i t .

Miss Bey e r s e y e s w e r e turn e d downwards and whil e

’
,

h e r physician h e ld h e r lids op e n I h e l d a burning candl e ,

as clos e as possibl e t o h e r e y e s We could not p e rc e iv e .

that t h e e nlarg e d pupil contracte d in cons e qu e nc e O f

t h e proximity O f th e light S h e h e ld p e rfe ctly still
‘
. .

Afte rwards how e v e r s h e c o mplain e d whil e s t ill in t h e

, , ,

somnambulic condition ; about t h e ligh t which as s h e , ,

s aid had g o t into h e ad

,
Wh e th e r t h e disagr e e abl e
.

s e nsations in h e r h e ad thus c o mplain e d o f w e r e caus e d ,

by t he light o f t h e candl e or by t h e ch e mical o d e m a

,

nations o f t h e combustion is a qu e stio n which must lie

ove r fo r furth e r consid e rati o n .

It is e vid e nt that th e r e could be no sight by t h e o r

d in ar y m e ans und e r such circumstanc e s T he sigh t o f .

t h e e ye w as lam e and inactiv e in all t h e s e p e rso n s in

somnamb ulism as has b e e n long w ell known in similar
,

cas e s .
 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AMP .

76 . Seein g with th e
y — N e v e rth el e ss th e s e
e es sh ut ,

p e rsons saw all t h e o bj e cts about th e m m o r e or l e ss ,

cl e arly as w e ll by day as by night and s o m e t im e s with

, ,

an asto ni shing e xactn e ss In chapt e r first I m e ntion e d

.

’
som e e xampl e s and l ik e e xampl e s ar e in e v e rybody s
,

mouth as occurring wit h out numb e r in e v ery land so

, ,

that I can pa s s o n without dw elling long e r o n t h is

point I hav e only to say h e r e that thi s p e rc eption o f
.

t h e e xt e rnal world by s omnamb ul ist s has com e b e for e

m e so O ft e n that th e r e is n o long e r room for a
,
n y doubt .

Ho w it is t h e mind can r e c e iv e im pr es s s o ns O f light and

o f t h e form of t h e phy s ical world s o that a pictur e r e ,

s e mbling an optical im pr e ss is painte d in t h e soul

how thi s can be is a probl e m for t h e pr e se nt
,
.

77 . Expl an atio n o f
ng with o ut eyes I do
s eei .

n o t admit how e v e r ,
that this probl e m is so e nti r e ly
,

b eyond t h e pow e r o f solution as is asse rt e d by o u r phy

s i ci s t s and physiol o gists who th ink th ey h av e t h e right
,

t o straightway r ej e ct as untru e t h e thousand tim e s con -

firm e d facts I um satisfi e d that t h e odic laws which

.

I hav e discov e r e d must furnish a s o lution t o this prob

le m or at l e ast supply h ints which will point o u t t h e
,

road to t h e caus e s o f t h e e nigmatical s e e ing o f som

n am bu li s t s without using th e ir e y e s Ho w do e s i t .

h app e n that a pi e c e o f g lass o r mica o r crystal wate r , ,

o r air app e ars transpar e nt to us ? Ce rta inly only be

caus e w e p e rc e iv e bodi e s o u which ligh t falls b eyond
, ,

th e m We agr e e that th e s e bodi e s s e nd o u t rays O f

.

light t o our e y e s t h rough t h e transpar e nt s ubstanc e s

,

which p e rmit t h e rays t o pass throu g h t h e m It mat .

t e rs not what kind o f a r adiat io n th is is provid e d only ,

that w e hav e a s e ns e to p e rc e iv e i t To be p e rc e iv e d .
1 00 SO M NAMB ULI S M A ND CR AM P .

th e n high s ens i tives have s uch a s en s e Why it is an d

,
-
.
,

how t h e s e ns e i s constitut e d I know as littl e as oth e r

,

l e arn e d p e opl e know about t h e constitution o f t h e

s e nse s o f sm e ll tast e and to uch Bu t that such a
,
.

pow e r of p e rc e ption do e s e xist in e xtraordinary con

dition o f h e alt h is prov e d by this e ntir e book in in ,

n um e rab l e concurring e xp e ri e nc e s S inc e o d pass e s .

unc h ang e d and without int e rruptio n through t h e skin ,

and sinc e t h e numb e rl e ss noos e s e nds and ganglions o f ,

t h e n e rv e s must be consid e r e d as bar e for e d as t h e ,

r e tina n e rv e s ar e for ligh t th e r e for e t h e whol e body

-
, ,

o r rath e r t h e whol e n e rvous syst e m may be call e d onl y

o n e e ye through and through fo r radiating o d

, ,
L ow .

s e nsitiv e s wh e n in t h e dark u s e th e ir e y e s to assist

, ,

th e m in p e rc e iving t h e odic rays ; but hig h s e nsitiv e s -

,

particularly in somnambulism wh e n t h e eye c e as e s t o ,

p e rform i ts functi o ns and t h e lids ar e clos e d hav e t h e ,

e ntir e n e rv o us syst e m as an organ o f p e rc e ption All .

s e nsitiv e s r e cogniz e t h e p e rc e ptibl e e ffe cts o f 0 d but ,

t h e high s e nsitiv e s chi e fly t h e odic flam e t h e odic lig h t

-
,

and its rays Wh e r e t h e rays fi n d cl e ar pa s sag e

.

through oth e r bo di e s t h e r e sul t is about t h e sam e as

,

wh e n light rays fall o n glass A plat e o f m e tal for a .

high s e nsitiv e b e ars t h e sam e r e lation to Od th at a plate

-

o f gla s s do e s fo r a c o mmon p e rson in r e lation to light .

As in t h e latt e r cas e t h e r ays of light go through so in ,

t h e form e r cas e d o t h e r ays o f 0 d G lass is p e rm e abl e

‘

fo r rays of light ; rock salt for rays of h e at ; m e tal s

-

an d oth e r bodi e s ar e p e rm e abl e for rays of Cd S inc e .

n o w a high s e nsitiv e p e rson O btains pictur e s and r e

-

pr e s e ntations o f O bj e cts by m e a n s Of t h e odic rays w h ich

th e y e mit o r r e fl e ct and th e s e pict u r e s and r e pr es e n
,

t ati o n s mu st be O btain e d wh e n t he rays hav e t o pass

 T H E COND ITI ON OF T HE SENSES . 101

through int e rv e ning substanc e s which last m ay be ,

call e d dio d an o u s o r p e r m e abl e t o e d [ as w e say dia

, ,
“

” ”
p h an o us p e rm e abl e to lig h t and
,
diat h
,
e rmanous ,

p e rm e abl e t o h e a t " M e tals ar e particularly d io d an o us

bodi e s and s o ar e all b odi e s o f continuous substanc e
, ,

such as cry s tals but unconn ec te d pi e c e s such as pap e r

, ,

powd e r cotton ar e dio d an o u s in a lo w d e gr ee Th e r e

, ,
.

i s th e r e for e in man a dormant pow e r which in c e rtain ,

n e rvous dis e as e d conditions is awak e n e d and mad e ao

tiv e and is abl e to s ee with mor e o r l e ss cl e arn e ss
,

thr o ugh many bodi e s oth e rw i s e O paqu e whil e o n t h e ,

o th e r hand som e substance s p e rmit t h e passag e o f odic

rays with wo nd e rful e as e an d e xactn e ss .

79 . l t in d ark n ess — On e o f t h e most

Vis i o n c eares

important fe atur es o f somnambulism i s that in that

stat e t h e sight is b e tt e r in t h e dark than in t h e light .

T h e somnamb ulist s th e r e for e s e e n o t by m e ans o f t h e

light but O f som e o th e r m e dium .

Miss G ir t le r d e scrib e d to m e as w e ll as s h e could

that h e r sight was goo d in proportion t o t h e d e pth Of
t h e darkn e s s about h e r All common light was a
.

burth e n to h e r pain e d h e r and dimm e d t h e cl e arn e ss

,

o f h e r p e rc e ption Wh e n it was p e rfectly dark s h e

.

could s ee t h e forms and colors of t h e o bj e cts abo u t h er

almost as cl e arly as wh e n awak e in daylight I in .

quire d fo r furth e r particular s but l e arn e d nothing

mor e S h e d e clar e d that t h ough S h e saw without using
.

h e r e y e s ye t s h e did not know h o w

,
.

Miss W e igand wh e n somnambulic oft e n tol d m e

, ,

that s h e p e rc e iv e d surrounding o bj e cts with a distinct

n e s s t h at incr e as e d wi th t h e d e pth o f t h e darkn e ss
.
.

Candl e light and moonlight still mor e caus e d h e r s ight

-
, ,
102 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR A M P .

( with clos e d e y e s ) to b e much l e s s cl e ar Wh e n Mi ss .

R e ich el in somnambulism saw s an dle light at a dis

, ,
-

tanc e s h e walk e d away and if an att e mpt was mad e

to d e tain h e r s h e b e cam e impati e nt and t h e light had
to be tak e n away Wh e n I visit e d Miss Zin kel in
.

somnambul is m at night h e r first word was always to , ,

r e qu e st that t h e light shoul d be put o u t ; s h e said it

hurt h e r and pr e v e nt e d h e r s e e ing Bu t h e r ey e s w e r e .

clos e d Wh e n I had put o u t t h e light s h e e xpr e ss e d

.

satisfaction and assur e d m e th at s h e could s e e m e much

,

b e tt e r Mrs Kr e bs in h e r long p e riods o f unbrok e n

. .
,

somn ambulism could e ndur e n o light and it was n o c e s

, ,

sary t o k ee p h er chambe r in d e e p darkn e s s day and

night .

80 . Mi s s At zm anns do rfer
t t n t — Wh e n Miss
’
s s a em e

At zm an n s d o rfe r was d e e ply somnambulic s h e mad e ,

similar d e clarations As t h e first condition for s e e ing

.

cl e arly s h e d e mand e d compl e t e darkn e ss Wh e n e v e r

,
.

t h e w e ak e st glar e o f dayligh t o r candl e light b e cam e

p e rc e pti bl e h e r sigh t was l e ss distinct S h e could still
,
.

s e e in O p e n daylig h t but muc h l e ss cl e arly Wh e n I .

d e man d e d o f h e r a comparison b e twe e n t h e cl e arn e ss

O f vision i n somnam bulism and darkn e ss o n o n e sid e ,

and t h e normal stat e an d d ayligh t o n t h e oth e r s he ,

said s h e saw all t h e o u tlin e s muc h mor e cl e arly in t he

latt e r
. N ot hing shows mor e satisfactorily t h at in
somn ambulism is n o t t h e function o f t h e e y e s alon e ,

than t he d e sir e of sl e e p walk e rs as I h e ard it from

-
,

t h e m on e v e ry occasi on that t h e ligh t should be r e

,

mov e d and t h e ass e rtion th at th ey could s e e b e st wh e n

it i s dark e st ; t h at is t h e y s ee b e st wh e n t h e m e dium
,

through w h ic h t h e ey e s s e e is most co m ple t e lv r e mov e d .

104 SO MN AMB ULI S M A ND CR AMP .

each o th e r som e what as if th e y w er e color e d glas s es .

Y e t s h e add e d t h e somnam bulists vi e w o f things is

, ,

not so cl e arly d e fin e d but th e y app e ar mor e as if th ey

,

w e r e m e lte d tog e th e r t h e outlin e s b e ing l e ss d e fini t e

,

than wh e n s e e n by t h e normal e y e s in dayli ght All .

this agr ee s accurat ely wi th t h e odic natur e of bodi e s ,

wh e r e o n e s e nds its odic ray s through anoth e r and thus

mak e s t h e latt e r transpar e nt .

82 . n t n o f o rdinary vis io n
Scient ific expla a io .

I ca n not e xplain h o w t he s o mn ambulic mind r e c e iv e s

an impr e ssi o n o f t h e forms O f t h e bodi e s within t h e
rang e O f p e rc e ption from t h e odic rays as p e rc e iv e d by
t h e n e rv e s but n e ith e r can t h e physiologist e xplain t o
,

m e how t h e light pictur e s thrown by t h e crystallin e

-

l e n s on t h e n erv e coat o f t h e r e tina ar e carri e d t o t h e

-

brain and chang e d th e r e into psychical conc e ptions o f

,

t h e mat e rial obj e cts which e mit t h e rays o f light He .

can trac e hi s light pictur e to t h e O paqu e r e ti n a wh e r e

-

it stops ; and thus h e and I hav e mad e lik e progr e ss ,

and ar e puzzl e d by similar probl ems T h e e xplanation .

and t h e compr e h e nsion in both cas e s s t e p at t h e sam e

limit .

83 . Clair vo yance bro ugh t

n der n atural laws u .

N ow that w e hav e r e ach e d t he principal laws o f t h e

matte r and bas e d th e m o n t h e foundations o f e xp o r
,

ie n c e w e p e rc e iv e that ah t h e ghosts ov e r t h e grav e s

, ,

o f t h e d e ad so also a larg e part o f cla irvoyanc e horr

, ,

ibly distort e d as it has b e e n com e s within t h e domai n ,

o f natural sci e nc e E v e ry o n e will n o w und e rstand

.

th at th e r e ar e m e n who can r e ad wri ti n g shut up in

m e tallic b o x e s n o t only by day but also in t h e dark
,

n e ss o f night and n o t only with op e n but also wi th

,
 T HE COND ITI ON OF T HE SENSES . 105

clos e d or bandag e d ey e s I h av e s e e n Miss G ir t le r

.

Spontan e ously tak e up a book and r e ad to m e wi th

Clos e d e y e s as r e adily as wh e n s h e had h e r e y e s O p e n .

Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r l e ss s e nsitiv e has i n num e rabl e

, ,

tim e s in my pr e s e nc e tak e n up o bj e cts and d istinguish e d

th e m by placing t h e m at t h e top o f h e r for eh e ad Ob ,

j e ct s which s h e could not ot h e rwis e disti n guish h e r ,

e y e s b e ing clos e d by dis e as e T h e s e nsitiv e p e rc e ptiv e

.

faculty was un e qua lly distribut e d in h e r body ; in som e

plac e s t h e p e rc e ption was much m or e acut e t h an i n o t h
e rs. And sinc e t h is is tru e according t o natural laws
and has b e e n confirm e d by m y o w n e xp e ri e nc e w e can ,

compr e h e nd an d e xplain h ow a h igh s e n s i t i ve can pe r

-

ce iv e what is going o n in an adjoini n g clos e d room in ,

a n e ighborin g h ous e in a hous e across t he str e e t and

,

so forth We now und e rstand h ow it is t h at a high

.

s e nsitiv e Sick abe d with clos e d ey e s e xp e cting t h e ar

, ,

rival Of hi s physician sudd e nly cri e s out N ow h e is

,
“

coming h e h as j ust com e into t h e hous e h e i s on t h e

”
stairs ; h e is about t o op e n t he door S uc h thi n gs
.

hav e O fte n b e e n obs e rv e d ; and v e ry lat e ly by D r .

S tain e r.

84. Seei ng in t o th e hum an bo dy —Again w e can

.

n o w compr e h e nd h ow a h ig h s e nsitiv e can s e e into his

-

o w n b ody and p e rc e iv e its int e rior as if i n a looki n g

,

glass ; as M iss e s S t u r m an n At zm an n s d o r fe r G ir t le r
, , ,

Kru e g e r R e ic h el and man y oth e rs h av e O fte n assur e d

, ,

m e th at th e y hav e don e and finally h o w th e y c an s e e

i n to t h e bodi e s o f oth e r p e rsons n e ar th e m an d p e rc e iv e
organic d e fe ct s wh ic h no ph ysician could discov e r
, ,

suc h as putr e faction tub e rcl e s and i n flam m at io n s i n

,

t h e lungs liv e r and stomach

,
Wh e n I ask e d afte r t he
.

*
5
 106 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND C R AM P .

mann e r o f th e ir p e rc e ption t h e y told m e t h e int e rior ,

o f t h e body app e ar e d rath e r as luminous than as illu

m i n at e d ; t h e luminousn e ss b e ing di ffe r e nt in color and

int e ns ity ; t h e stomach giving out a strong whit e light ;

t h e liv e r and lungs w e ak e r light e t c Miss At zm an ns ,
.

dorfe r r e p e at e d to m e t h e simil e O f t h e glowing h ot

glass e s in a box bu t c o v e r e d with a transpar e nt liqui d
,
.

A n o n s ensitiv e eye looking down in daylight would

-

s e e all th e s e glass e s ; and in a lik e mann e r t h e s e nsitiv e

e ye s e e s and distinguis h e s t h e int e rnal organs o f t h e

huma n body all slig h tly luminous Thus Miss Zin kel
,
.
,

with w h om wh e n somnambulic I O fte n spok e a bout h e r

, ,

condition always assur e d m e th at h e r l e ft ovarian tube

,

was cl e ar and cl e an but t h e right o n e was dark and,

dis e as e d Miss G ir t le r r e q u e st e d urg e ntly w h e n in

.
,

somnambuli sm that t h e looking glass should be cov e r e d

,

so that s h e should n o t s e e h e r visc e ra in i t as t h e in ,

sid e s o f anatomical su bj e cts ar e s e e n in t h e diss e cting

rooms Mrs Kr e bs mad e a similar r e qu e st and for
. .

lik e r e asons Cloths as I hav e shown ar e t h e worst

.
, ,

conductors of 0 d and t h e r e for e are suitabl e t o pr e v e nt

,

t h e odic rays from going to and coming from t h e look

i n g glass Miss Kru e g e r assur e d m e that in t he hig h
.

e s t susc e pti bility o f somnam bulism s h e h ad onc e s ee n ,

into t h e body of anoth e r p e rson p e rc e iving t h e visc e ra ,

with tol e rabl e cl e arn e ss t h e stomach most cl e arly ; and ,

s h e h ad O fte n s e e n t h e int e rnal parts o f h e r own body .

On suc h occasions s h e could distin g uis h t h e variou s

parts and all app e ar e d to be in a h e alth y con d ition
,

sav e t h e h e art w h ic h s u fl e r e d from a mal formation

, .

S he said all t h e organs w e r e luminous as in an odic ,

S e ns e th e y must b e sinc e ch e mical action and motio n

, ,

O f liquid s ar e constantly going forward in th e m It .

1 08 SO M NAM BU LI S M A ND CR AM P .

that a somnambulist whom I introduc e d th e r e d en o un c

e d a s e rvant girl fo r imm oral conduct in which nobody ,

b e li e v e d and t h e truth of h er d e claration was only

,

e stablish e d aft e r t h e laps e o f months and oth e r r e v e

l at io n s which s h e mad e caus e d a r e voluti o n in t h e
hous e and r e sult e d in t h e dismissal o f s ev e ral s e rvants
, .

Miss Bey e r was s e e n o n e still moonlight night t o r is e

from an appar e ntly qui e t sl e e p which how e v e r was , , ,

s omnambulic S h e was sil e ntly obs e rv e d

. Sh e lay .

down o n t h e floor crawl e d with much di ffic ulty und e r

,

t h e b e dst e ad and finally cam e forth h e r e y e s b e ing

, ,

close d all t h e tim e havin g in h e r hand a copp e r kr e u

,

ze r o f which no o n e kn e w anything
, S h e laid t h e .

kr e uz e r down o n t h e tabl e and w e nt again qui e tly to

be d . S he had fe lt t h e radiation o f t h e copp e r through
t h e be d N 0 s e cr e t act that is don e in t h e hous e o s
.

cap e s 9 all pi e rcing e ye o f t h e acut e s e nsitiv e and

-
,

th e ir rd in ar y talkati v e n e ss t e lls e v e rything without

s e l e ction As age nts o f t h e polic e and t h e inq uisition
.

s omnambulists might r e nd e r e xtraordinary s e rvic e s in

many cas e s and in so far it is fortun at e that high

,

clairvoyanc e lasts only thr o ugh short stag e s of c e rtain .

dis e as e s ordinarily e nduring only a fe w hours at a

,

tim e ofte n p e riods o f only a half o r a quart e r o f an

,

hour which p e riods ar e r e p e ate d at irr e gular inte rval s

,

o f t w o o r mor e days Wis e physicians may u s e thi s

.

pow e r with g r e at b e n e fit t o e xamin e t h e doubtful con

,

dition Of dise as e d int e rnal organs ; b u t ignora n t and

foolish p e rsons will commit mistak e s and do e vil
with it .

86 y.abo ut cl ai
Sum m ar
r vo yan ce — I hav e giv e n .

thus what I h av e found to be tru e in r e g ard to clair

 T HE COND ITI ONS OF T H E SENS E S . 1 09

v oy anc e It is j ust e nough to be misus e d by ignorant

.

and consci e nc e l e ss m e n T o o n e vi e w o f this sad sid e

.

I shall giv e no att e nti on Bu t I canno t conc e al a d ee p

.

r e gr e t that m en o f high worth and physicists o f com

pr e h e ns i v e l e arning ar e O fte n s o w e ak as t o convinc e
th e ms e lv e s that th e y may und e rvalu e matt e rs o f t h e
high e s t sci e ntific im po r t an ce ~ be cau s e ignoranc e o r
,

m e ann e ss may misus e th e m for wick e d purpos e s Th e r e .

is nothing m e an in natur e and l e ast O f all in thos e o b

,

je c t s which grasp d ee p into t h e spiritual n atur e and

inn e rmost e s s e nc e o f hum anity as d o t h e subj e cts o f

,

this tr e atis e S uch a short sight e d pr ejudic e is as ah

.
-

surd as t h e folly o f oth e rs wh o worship clairvoyants

lik e idols and mak e laws o f th e ir inconsid e rat e e x
,

pr e ssions Clairvoyanc e has som e phas e s whic h must

.

e xcit e t h e high e st int e r e st in all t h inking m e n w h o ,

hav e suffi ci e nt capacity to br e ak throug h t h e sp ell o f

outward app e aranc e and dir e ct t h e prob e towards t h e
,

grounds laying d ee p b e n e ath I b e li e v e that I hav e

.

r e ach e d and uncov e r e d thos e grounds from t w o points

o f vi e w : from t h e dir e ct and r e fl ex odi c ph e nom e na ,

wh ich h e althy p e rsons with rar e e xc e ptions d o n o t

, ,

s ee and from t h e d io d an o u s natur e o f bodi e s which

, ,

offe rs t h e key to solv e t h e singular e nigm as of s ensi

t iv en e s s and e nabl e s us t o compr e h e nd t h ings h e r e t o
,

for e includ e d within t h e domain o f insanity .

With this e v e ry o n e will be in a position t o d raw

t h e dividing lin e b e tw ee n t h e tru e and t h e fal s e be ,

tw e e n t h e trustworthy and untrustworth y b e tw e e n ,

hon e sty and dishon e sty in t h e fi e ld o f clairvoyanc e

, .

Pr e dictions about t h e fate o f m e n ass e rtions a bout ,

e v e nts occurrin g at a gr e at dis t anc e stat e m e nts of t h e

,

condition Of a ffairs b eyond t h e limits o f o ur world o r ,

 SO M N AM BU LI S M AND CR AMP .

b e yond t h e r an ge o f o ur e xi st e nc e e t c find n o expla ,

.
,

nati o n in physics c e rta inly n o t now and b elong t o t h e

, ,

t e rritory o f di s e as e d fanci e s and a littl e O bs e rvation ,

will always show that th e y ar e e ntir e ly wanti ng in lo

g ical conn e ction .

I hav e not as ye t coll e ct e d furth e r obse rvations in

r e gard to clair v o yan c& t h is v e ry important pha s e O f
t h e somnam b ulic p h e nom e na whic h should be studi e d ,

v e ry car e fully and consci e ntiously— and I shall pos t

pon e till anoth e r tim e t h e mor e thorough study o f it ,

b e caus e I consid e r t h e physical bas e s O f t h e odic ph e

nom ena as t h e most important and as n e c e ssary fo r ,

t h e foun dation o f e v ery inv e stigation O f t h e oth e r high

psychical branch e s .

Bu t from t h e littl e h er e tofor e communicat e d t h e sig ,

n i fi can t facts ar e e stablish e d in r e gard to most high

s e nsitiv e s in t h e somnambulic condition that ,

1 T hey have t he ir eyes clos ed

. .

2 Ne ver t heles s t hey p e rcei ve t he f o rm s an d co lor s of

.
,

t he ex te r nal w o r ld .

3 T he ir p e r cep t io n is bett er and s t r o ng er in d ar knes s

.

t han i n light .

4 T hey p e r cei ve bodies

. as ,
in a cer t ain m an ner , t r ans

luce nt and v i si ble t hr o ugh each o ther .

5 In t he
. s am e m an ner t hey can lo o k i n t o t he hu m an
bod y .

6 .T his p e r cep t ion is no t so clear as our o r din ar y

v is i o n i n daylight .

7 . T his p e rcep tio n find s t he begi n n in g of i ts exp lan a

t ion in t he dio da ncit y i n t he p e r m eabil i ty of all bod ie s
, ,

m et als g las s es , t he h u m
,
an bod y an d t he n erv o us s ys tem

to t he od ic r ays , all t he ne r v o us au hin s bein g co n s id

g g g
e r ed as eyes for cd .
 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AM P
‘

112 .

at t he wri st o r ov e r t h e leg stopping at t h e an kl e .

Th e s e cramps of a pur ely voluntary cr e ation ar e t h e

, ,

imm e diat e cons e qu e nc e of s o r e t ic influe nc e s which may ,

b e consid e r e d as an accumulation of e d in t h e crampe d

limb T he r e sult is t h e sam e wh e n upward pass e s ar e
.

made ov e r t h e arm or ov e r t h e body towards t he h e ad ,

th e y throw t h e high s e nsitiv e and e v e n t h e d e mi s e nsi

- -

tiv e into t h e most vi ol e nt cramps o f t he arms l e gs and ,

s p in e S inc e th e y can be imm e d iat e ly cur e d at will

.

in t h e sam e mann e r as th e y w e r e voluntarily cr e at e d ,

n am e ly by n e m e t ic tr e atm e nt s o I may ass e rt that my

, ,

inv e stigations hav e giv e n a satisfactory e xplanation o f

this kind of cramps in s o far as such an e xplanation
,

o f a vital proc e ss o f this natu r e is po s sibl e .

88 . t n —T h e muscl e s ar e t e rribly
Seve ri ty o f s rai .

s t r ain e d in cramp I oft e n saw Miss R e ich e l striking

.

h e r arms and hands with s uch forc e ag ainst t he walls ,

that I thought th e y must be crush e d at a ti m e wh e n ,

s h e was so su ffocate d dur ing br e ast and n e ck cramp s

as t o turn blu e opisthotonus b e nt h e r back upwards ,

s o t h at only h e r h e ad and h e e ls touch e d t h e be d and ,

s h e to r e h e r fac e cru e lly with h e r hands I had noth .

ing to say and t h e physician s look e d on not knowing

, ,

What to do I saw Miss S t ur m an n in similar furiou s

.

cramps S h e would h av e bitt e n h e r o w n arm to pi e c e s

.

had not Count S zapar y a v e ry strong man bee n pr e

, ,

s e nt and h e ld h e r s o that s h e coul d n o t injur e h e rs e lf

, .

I saw Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r almost daily in tonic and

clonic cramps with opis thotonus wh e r e in t h e strain o f
, ,

t h e muscl e s was horri bl e T h e worst cas e was that of

.

Miss Wint e r who as I hav e alr e ady stat e d b e at t h e

, ,
.
,

s tro n g e st m e n an d thr e w t h e m down s o that e v e rybody ,

 T HE M US CLES I N R AM P
C . 113

in G ra e tz w as afraid of h e r wh en s h e w as i n h er fits
o f s omnambulism and cramp .

89 . Preventio n ph e nom e na o f
o f cr am ps . T he
cramp w e r e t h e most instructiv e in Miss Be y e r Wh e n .

s h e was attack e d with it s h e took h old o f my hands

, ,

s o that t h e touch would be b e n e ficial to h e r by its n e

m e tic influ e nc e Whil e s h e struggl e d with t e tanus

.
,

s h e grasp e d m y arms from tim e to tim e and shut h e r

hands upon th e m with all h e r forc e E v e ry such an .

e x e rtion o f str e ngth did h e r good stopp e d h e r t ears , ,

and r eli e v e d and arr e st e d h e r cramps It ofte n hap .

p e n e d that during s o mnambulism accompani e d by ,

cramp s h e would be g p e rmission to pr e ss m e and did

, ,

it th e n with all h e r might E v e ry such voluntary .

e x e rtion r e li e v e d h e r for a tim e from t h e involuntary

strain o f cramp ; th e r e was always an odic discharg e

which took t h e plac e o f t h e cramp Mis s Bey e r was .

pr e s e nt at a tabl e tipping soir e e which as might hav e

-
, ,

b ee n for e s e e n e x e rcis e d a strong influ e n c e o n h er S h e

, .

took t h e m ix e d o dic influ e nc e r e c e iv e d from t h e tabl e

hom e with h e r and that night s h e b e came s o m n am bu
,

lic At mi d night s h e awok e and found h e r s e lf in h er

.

night dr e ss tryi n g to lift t h e larg e st and h e avi e st

,

ch e st in h e r room At oth e r tim e s wh e n s h e was n e i

.
,

th e r s omnambulic n o r attack e d by cramp s h e would ,

be r e stl e ss sl e e pl e ss s h e could n o t br e ath e fr e e ly

, ,

e no u gh h e r h e art s ee m e d oppr e ss e d and timid s h e

, ,

w e pt involuntarily and s he was evid e ntly in t h e co n

,

dition which pr e c e d e s cramp and in which s e nsitiv e s,

say that th e y ar e full o f cramps— a condition o f sor e

tic ov e rloading o f t h e brain At such tim e s Mis s .

Bey e r felt an irr e sistibl e d es ir e to e x e rcis e h e r s tr ength

1 14 S OMM NABU LIS M A ND CR AMP .

in s om e man n e r S h e would th e n s e iz e t h e h e avi es t

.

box e s in t h e hous e and lift th e m up ; s h e woul d put

h e rs e lf in a doorway and push with all h e r might
against t h e opposit e posts s h e wo ul d chall eng e m en
to wr e stl e and notwithstanding h e r small siz e s h e
,

woul d throw down t h e stronge st Aft e r that s h e felt .

w e ll t h e feeling o f O ppr e ssion pass e d away t h e w e e p

, ,

ing c e as e d h e r h e art was light and s h e b e cam e w e ak

, ,

as in ordinary tim e s Sh e always fe ll into t h is e x

.

t r ao r d in ar y condi tion during full moon that is at t h e ,

p e riod wh e n positiv e o d is much accumulat e d in o ur

country This positiv e e d by its influ enc e o n h e r
.
,

brain le d h e r t o t h e v e rg e o f cramp th at is o f an in
, , ,

volun tary e x ertion o f str e ngth w h ich s h e pr e v e nt e d ,

by a voluntary e x e rtion sugg e ste d by instinct .

N othi n g could show mor e b e autifully that cr am p s

co ns is t in a s up e r abun d an t acc u m u lati on of p ow er in
t he br ai n which pow e r is pour e d ov e r t h e muscl e s
, ,

particularly thos e o f t h e e xtr e m iti e s T h e brain act s .

in this matt e r like a wound up watch spring - -

.

D uring th e ir cramps t h e somnambul e s w h o had had

, ,

s om e e xp e ri e nc e oft e n r e qu e st e d that n o influe nc e

,

should be e x e rcis e d on th e m from without and that ,

th e ir par o xysms should be l e ft t o e xhaust th ems e lv e s

in the ir natural co u rs e Th us spok e Miss e s R e ich e l
.
,

S t ur m ann G ir t le r Kru e g e r At zm an n s d o r fe r and K y

, , ,

n ast . Miss R e ich e l prot e st e d most u r g e ntly against

all influ e nc e wi t h magn e ts be cau s e t h e cramps inst e ad
, ,

o f b e i n g b e tt e r e d w e r e mad e to last long e r and afte r

,

wards Miss Z in ke l spok e t o t h e s am e e ffe ct I hav e .

ofte n shown that t h e magn e t as a mass o f iron i s o d , ,

posi tiv e and t h e r e for e is not oppos e d to n e gativ e in

,

fl uen ce s but op e rate s t o e xcit e cramps ; and for t h i s

,
1 16 s cu m M BU LIS M A ND CRAMP .

point s proj e cti n g to pr e v e nt any s o r e t ic influ e nce

,
.

Oft e n t h e sp e e di e s t r eli e f is o btain e d by grasping t h e

‘

to e s with t h e unlik e fing e rs If I us e d pass e s in such

.

cas e s t he influ e nc e was always p e rc e ptibly w e ak e r

,
.

T h e caus es of thi s may be e asily explain e d D own .

ward pass e s op e rat e n em e t ically it is true upon all , ,

d es c e nding n e rv e s but th ey also m e e t a m ultitud e

,

o f a s c e nd ing cutan e ou s n e rv e s e sp e cially if not mad e

,

c ar e fully ov e r t h e i n n e r sid e o f t h e arm and th us ,

th ey may ex e rcis e a s o r e t ic i n flu e nc e T h e r e su l t .

i s that t h e cramp haling e fl e e t o n o n e sid e i s spoil e d

-

by t h e cr am p e xcit in g influ e nc e o n t h e o th e r In .

t hi s way it is that pati e nt s in a v e ry susc e ptibl e con

,

dition cann ot be cur e d o f cramps by pass e s but must ,

b e l e ft t o th ems e lv e s I tri e d with pass e s to cur e

.

M is s At zm an n s d o r fer and Bey e r o f cramps at t h e ,

dis tanc e o f a ste p and m or e T h e e fi e ct was go o d and

'

.
,

r e li e v e d t h e cramps ; but if aft e r making t h e pass e s ,

I w e nt backwards e v e n w ith my arms b e nt sid e wards

, ,

M is s Bey e r always shudd e r e d and singl e upward p as s

m ad e at a distanc e of t w o st e ps thr e w h e r int o all o f

t h e s carc e ly arr e st e d cramps .

§ 90 . Sum m ary.— F rom all th i s i t app e ars cl e arly

t hat s o r e t ic and n e m e t ic influ e nc e s ar e univ e rsally t h e
cause and cur e o f cramps and cons e qu e ntly that t he
,

contractions and e xt e nsions o f t h e muscl e s in cramp

ar e e ntir e ly d e p e nd e nt o n t h e upward and downward

s tr e ams o f 0 d i n th e m .

I r e v i e w i n g t h e r e lations o f t h e s e ns e s in s o m n am
b ulis m and t h e accompanying cramp w e fin d that t h e
s e ns e s som e tim e s r e main in full activity som e tim e s ,

ar e partly and som e tim e s e ntir e ly inactiv e ; that at

 T H E M USCL E S I N CR AMP . 1 17

tim e s som e o f t h e s e ns e s ar e activ e and oth ers ar e

not that t h e circumstanc e s d e t e rmining th e s e grad e s
o f activity ar e ye t far from b e ing und e rsto o d ; t h at

t h e plac e o f t h e inactiv e o rgans o f s e ns e is som e tim e s

suppli e d by oth e r m e ans o f p erc e ption which carry
similar impr e ssions to t h e mind t h at t h e impr e ssion s
ar e only similar and n o t t h e sam e in kind with th os e

furnish e d through t h e organs o f ordinary s e ns e ; that

t h e n ew faculty o f p e rc e ption has t h e quality pr e ,

v io u s ly unknown o f s e e ing through matt e r opaqu e t o

,

light and finally that in this way t h e insid e o f o r

, ,

gani e s ub s tanc e s and ev e n of t h e human body may be

“

p erc e iv e d
.
1 18 SO M N AMBU LIS M A ND CR AMP .

CH A PT E R I X .

T HE NE RVES IN SO M N AMBU LI S M .

No t wo b i lik — T he
§ 91 . cas es o f s o m
n a m ul sm a e .

r e lations of t h e n e rv e s in somnambulism o ffe r a gr eat ,

an imm e as urabl e fie ld fo r physiology ov e r whi ch I ,

hav e b ee n able only to tak e a gl anc e I hav e b ee n so .

busy with t he main principl es and t h e physical r ela

tions o f o d that I must l e av e this matte r fo r my suc
,

c e s s o r s : and my r e mark s in this chapte r ar e b ase d

m e r e ly o n incid e ntal obs e rvations which have falle n

into my way wi thout any se t e xam ination
,
.

If w e watch t h e condition of s omnambul ism through

its cours e from b eginni n g to e n d we oft e n have occa ,

s io n to notic e that i t is n o t always t h e sam e that i t ,

'

h as d ifl e r e n t qualiti es in di ffe re nt individuals an d in

t h e sam e individual at di ffe r e n t tim e s and that it , ,

som e times ta k e s t he appe aranc e o f pha ses e ve n in t h e ,

co urs e o f o n e fit I saw Mi ss G ir t le r in ordinary

.

s omnamb ul ism with h e r e y es clos e d and th e n with

th e m op e n h e r conduct be ing e ntir e ly d ifle re n t in t he

,

t w o conditions an d th e n I saw in t h e sta te call e d

”
“
half awak e I o bse rv e d s imi lar chan ging condi
.

tions in Mrs L e d e r e r who so m e tim es had he r ey es

.
,

ope n and ye t co uld not s ee .

1 20 SO MN AMB UL I S M A ND CR AM P .

th e tic n er v e s and t h e oth e r o n t h e c e r ebro spinal sys -

t em .
[ No te f o r t he ge ne r al r ead er : Th e r e ar e t w o
n e rvous syst e m in t h e human body ; o n e call e d t h e
c e r ebro spinal consisting o f t h e brain spinal marrow
-
, ,
-

and t h e n e rv e s running fro m th e m t h e ot h e r t h e sym

path e tic which is only slightly conn e ct e d with t he
,

brain and has its chi e f c e ntr e s and branc h e s in t h e

,

tr unk n e ar and b e low t h e s tomach T RANs J A strict

.

r e gard fo r t h e facts and a car e ful e xclusi o n o f such

,

imaginings as ar e always pushing th e ms e lv e s into such

in v e stigations would pro b ably show t h e way h o w t he
,

knot is t o be un ti e d but much cool judgm e nt and clo s e

obs e rvation ar e n e c e ssary t o avoid ov e r e stimating and -

und e r e stimating solitary ph e nom e na T he slight e st

-
.

t h ings oft e n le d m e to t h e most important principl e s ,

whil e t h e most spl e ndid ph e nom e na w e r e ofte n m e r e

insignificant variations o f matt e rs pr e viously known .

Wh e n somnambulists ar e in d e e p r e fr e shing sl ee p ,

th ey ar e corpor e ally qui e t t h e y sp e ak but th e y do

not act S uch is t h e pur e n e m e t ic condition with
.
,

n e g at iv e o d pr e dominating for instanc e in cool sprin g

,

sunshin e w h il e lying wit h t h e h e ad t o t h e north and

, ,

aft e r drinking n e gativ e ly o difi e d wate r Bu t wh e n .

o d positiv e e l e m e nts —such as moonshin e

-
s o r e t ic in
,

fl u e n ce s and lying with t h e h e ad to t h e w e st— app e ar

, ,

t h e sl e e p b e com e s r e stl e ss ; t h e sl e e p e r s toss t h e ms e lv e s

about sp e ak g e t up walk o u t o n roofs e t c W e may
, , , ,
.

th e r e for e draw an infe r e nc e from t h e qui e tud e o r r e s t

le e s n e s s o f a somnam bulist wh e th e r his s l e e p will hav e
a good o r e vil influ e nc e upon his h e alth .

In this mann e r Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r judge d of h er

condition I h e n s h e fe ll asl e e p with di ffi culty and
’
.
V

awok e wit h c as e s h e consid e r e d h e rse lf wors e wh e n

.
 THE NERVE S IN SO MN AM B U LIS M . 1 21

sh e fe ll a s l ee p r e a dily sl e pt s o undl y was n o t e asily

,

awak e n e d and wh e n mor e upward pass e s w e r e n e ce s

,

s ary t o di sp e l h e r so m nambulism s h e said s h e was r e ,

cov e rin g .

In Miss Kynast somnambulism alt e rnat e d with ,

sw oll e n fee t Wh e n s h e had t h e latte r s h e would be

.
,

fr ee from t h e form e r for s e v e ral w e e ks wh e n h e r fi t s

o f abnormal somnol e ncy cam e o n and th e y last e d from ,

t hr ee t o six w ee ks s h e was n o t tr o ubl e d with t h e

,

s w e lling o f t h e fee t .

94 . Co ld water go o d fo r cramps . Mrs . Ce cili a

Bau e r Mrs K ie n e s ber g er
,
. Zin k el ,
Miss e s G ir t le r , ,

Be y e r and oth e rs hav e found o u t that cold fr e sh

, ,

wat e r and ice ar e good r e m e di e s fo r cramps and fo r

,

light attacks o f s omnambulism If th e y u s e e ith e r .

r e m e dy quickly b e for e t h e n e rvous e xcite m e nt h as

gain e d t h e upp e r hand t h e cur e is compl e t e Cold ,
.

wat e r and m e lting ice hav e an o d n e gativ e e ffe ct o n -

t h e stomach and e x e rcis e th e ir abductiv e influ e nc e

’

aga inst cramps o n t h e pn e umo gastric n e rv e in t h e -

s to mac h Wh e n cold wat e r is n o t to be had th ey fi n d

.
,

r e li e f by g o ing o u t in wint e r into t h e cold air :Mifi .

Z in ke l go e s o u t into t h e s n o w T h e inhalation o f cold .

ai r into t h e lun gs also op e rate upon t h e pn e um o —g as t r io

n e rv e o d n e gativ e ly -
.

95 . Weak acids als o

tast e o f we ak beneficial — T h e .

v e g e tabl e acid s has a good e fl e ct o n so m nambulists ,

but th e y mu s t be in small quan t ity S ouris h fruit and .

slightly sour salad ar e d e licaci e s t o t h e s e nsitiv e pa

la t e Bu t strong acids ar e ov e r e xciting and inj urious
.
-
.

Many s e nsitiv e s Mrs An s ch ue t z among the m ar e

,
.
,

6
1 22 SO MN AM BUL IS M A ND CR AMP .

thr o wn in to s e v e r e cramps by a fe w dr o ps o f l em o n
j uic e T h e infl u e nc e in this cas e also is e x e rcis e d on
.
, ,

t h e pn e umo gastr ic n e rv e
-
T h e brain is t h e o d n e ga
.
-

ti v e pol e o f t h e longitudinal ax i s ; and wh e n a r e

action again s t it is c aus e d by a str ong acid lik e wi s e ,

o d n e gativ e t h e i n flu e nce is s o r e t ic and cramp in t h e

-
, ,

s to mach is t h e n e c e ss ary cons e qu e nc e .

96 . i ties painless — T h e cram ps

Cram ps in
t ex rem

which a ffe ct s e nsitiv e s though painful to l o ok u p o n

, ,

ar e n o t always so painful as mi ght b e su ppo s e d from

t h e s e v e r e contortions which accompany th e m Ind ee d .

,

many o f th e m ar e e ntir e ly pain l e ss and ar e n o t ev e n

fe lt Wh e n Miss N owotny was onc e bringing on sl e e p
.

by making pass e s ov e r h e rs e lf with a magn e t s h e lost ,

h e r consciousn e ss b e for e laying down t h e magn e t and ,

wh e n s h e awok e s h e found t h e hors e sh o e still in hand -

,

faste n e d th e r e wi th a grip so tight that s h e could not

op e n h e r fing e rs and it was a s e v er e task for h e r
,

fri e nds to g e t t h e ir o n o u t and ye t s h e did not fee l

t h e sli ght e st pa in It was t h e s am e wi th t h e tonic an d
.

clonic cramps in t h e fe e t and arms o f Miss e s R e ich e l ,

Be ye r At zm an ns d o r fe r W e igand R upp and many

, , ,

oth e rs A simil ar n e rvou s condition appe ar e d to pr e

.

vail h e r e as in t h e skin during somn am bulism wh e r e

, ,

n o pain was fe lt from an y pinching o r pricking .

97 . But painful in th e “ cramps

Il k a —Wh e n t he
p e ne trat ed t o t h e visc e ra t h e y first b e gan to be fe lt ,

and n o w with s e v e r e pain If th ey a ro s e through t h e

.

br e ast an d n e ck into t h e b rain th e y b e cam e acut e ,

tortur e s and som e s e nsitiv e s— Miss e s M aix S t ur m an n

, , ,

and At zm an n s d o r fe r an d Mrs K ie n e s be r g e r among

,
.
1 24 SO M N AM BULI S M A ND CR AM P .

convul s i o n s th ey w e r e n o long e r und e r t h e control Of

t h e wi ll And sinc e somnambulism usually acc o m pa
.

ni e s c ramp so in t h e latt e r conditi on t h e s e nso ry

,

n e rv e s ar e also dormant .

W e fin d th e r e for e in t h e afl e ct io n o f t h e n e rvo us
, ,

syste m in s o far as its minor branc h e s ar e conc e rn e d

, ,

again t h e important t h e or e tic and p ractical O pposition

which app e ar e d b e tw e e n s omnambulism and cramp
that t h e form e r aris e s und e r n em et ic t h e latte r und e r ,

s o r e t ic influ e nc e and that as a cons e qu e nc e t h e , ,

n e rv e s of s en s ation ar e attack e d and d e priv e d o f th e ir

function in t h e n em et ic condition whil e t h e n erv e s o f ,

motion ar e attack e d and thrown into invol u ntary and

e xc e ssiv e contracti o n s in t h e s o r e t ic conditi o n .

99 . thrill —T h e b eginning and t h e en d

T he o dic .

o f somnambulism and cramp ar e mark e d by c e rtain

s e nsations which d o n o t e scap e att e ntiv e O bs e rv e rs

,
.

Whe n s e n s itiv e s ar e awak e ning from abnormal sl e e p ,

and wh en about t o b e attack e d by o r r e li e v e d from , ,

cramp th ey p e rc e iv e p e culiar rippling thrills which

, ,

run throug h t h e body Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r wh e n .

,
“
s o mnambulic o ft e n s aid t o m e ,
I am ab out t o awak e ,
”
soon I fee l it alr e ady in my stomach About a min .

” “
u t e late r s h e would say N ow it is in my ch e st ; th e n
, ,
“
It is in my n e ck and wh e n it c o m e s in t o my h e ad I
,

shall awak e At t h e e n d o f anoth e r minute s h e would

.

”
be awak e What is t h e it o f wh ich s h e spok e ? S he
.
“

d e scrib e d it as a p e culiar s e nsation a r ipplin g curr e nt , ,

comm e ncing in t h e fe e t wh e n waking was n e ar pass , ,

ing slowly upwards runn ing thr ough organ afte r organ ,

o f t h e body and fin ally e nding in t h e brain with wak

,

ing It r es e mbl e s t h e s e nsation s c aus e d by an upward

.
 T HE NERVES I N SO M N AMBUL I S M . 1 25

p as s which runs through t h e body in t h e sam e way

, ,

and wh e n it arr i v e s i n t h e h e ad also d e stroys t h e ab

normal sl e e p ; i t mov e s lik e a wav e ov e r t h e r e cumbe nt
body .

’
With this state m e nt w e may compar e Miss Z in ke l s
e xplanation o f h e r fee lings wh e n I awok e h e r from

so mnambulic sl e e p by upward pass e s At t h e first .

pass s h e fe lt a p e cul iar s e nsatio n running u p from h e r

fee t thr o ugh h e r bo dy It was fe lt most strongly at
.

t h e pit o f t h e stomach wh e r e it stopp e d a fe w s e conds

, ,

and if t h e passe s w e r e continu e d it mov e d forward to ,

t h e ch e st and t h e n e ck which it cramp e d tog e th e r ;

,

th e n it w e nt into t he h e ad and awake ning follow e d as

quick as lightning .

Th e s e two O b s e rvations mad e at an int e rval o f six

y e ars e xactly cov e r e ach o th e r In t h e o n e cas e t h e
.

s e nsation was o f natur al spontan e ous d e v e lopm e nt ; in

t h e ot h e r it was d e v e lop e d by upward pass e s T he .

e ffe ct wrought in t h e latt e r cas e by artificial m e ans

was pro duc e d in t h e form e r by natur e h e rs e lf and in

both cas e s t h e i n flu e nc e in t he d e pths o f t h e n e rvous
s yst e m was t h e sam e .

I mad e a similar obs e rvation with Miss At zm an n s

dorfe r wh e n I first b e gan to study th e s e matte rs I .

ins e rt t he e x pe rim e nt h e r e although it is ir r e g u lar and

, ,

do e s not prop e rly com e into t h is plac e I wish e d to .

try w h at infl ue nc e a magn e t at h e r fe e t wo ul d hav e

, , ,

an d plac e d a strong bar magn e t wit h its nort h pol e ,

‘

turn e d towards h e r at h e r fee t S h e fe lt a rip p ling

,
.

curr e nt accompani e d by a co o l s e nsation running u p

wards through h e r fe e t Sh e d e scri be d t o m e h ow it
.

a s c e nd e d through h e r l e gs n o w it r e ach e d h e r kn e e
th e n ov e r t h e thighs t o t h e h ips making t h e abdom e n
,
1 26 SO M NAM BUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

cold as ice ; through t h e stomach into t h e ch e st moun t ,

ing through t h e n e ck ; and s h e was curious to k now

h o w i t would fe e l in h e r h e ad but s h e did n o t fe e l it , ,

for wh e n it arriv e d th e r e s h e sudd e nly stopp e d sp e ak

ing and had spr u ng across into somnambulic sl ee p and
, ,

a v e ry d e e p o n e At that tim e I could n o t und e rstand

.

t h e exp e rim e nt and did n o t know that I sh o uld hav e

,

o bs e rv e d t h e di ffe r e nt s e nsations in t h e di ffe r e nt fe e t .

Bu t t h e main fact forms an e xc ell e nt link in this c h ain

o f ph e nom e na and shows h o w by a n e m e t ic ag e nt
, ,

working from b e low somnambulism may be induc e d ,

in a mann e r not oth e rwis e obs e rv e d Th er e w as

plainly h e r e a progr e ssiv e advanc e o f somnambulism ,

which b e gan in t h e fee t from t h e n e ar influ e nc e of t h e

magn e t whil e t h e body was in t h e normal condition
,

th e n taking poss e ssion of t h e abdom e n whil e t h e c h e st

and n e ck w e r e still fr e e ; and finally mast e r ing t h e
brain Ho w m e chanical t h e whol e proc e ss "
.

Bu t I r e tur n to t h e dir e ct thr e ad o f my t r e atis e .

1 00 . T h e th rill o f cram
us compar e what p — Le t
.

w e hav e just r e ad with my not e s upon t h e cours e and

e n d Of cramp Miss Zin ke l ass e rt e d that ev e ry attack
.

o f cramp pass e d u pward from t h e fe e t towards t h e

h e ad It first b e cam e painful in t h e abdom e n b elow

.
,

t h e stomach and a ft e rwards in th at organ t h e r e was

, ,

a painful mov e m e n t — a worm lik e cr e e ping W h e n I -

.

plac e d t h e points of m y fi n g e rs o n t h e spot I coul d ,

plainly fee l this mov e m e nt ; it could b e felt by any o n e .

Afte r t h is cam e stomach ach e and wh e n t h e pain be -

,

cam e acut e t h e w e n lik e sw elling d e scri be d in chapt e r

-
,

V I follow e d
,
T he e vil pass e d upward t o t h e br e ast
.
,

wh e r e it ca us e d oppr e ssiv e cramps ; th e n into t h e n e ck ,

 1 28 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AMP .

o ut fr o m t h e fe e t and up into t h e h e ad wi th e ach oth e r ,

as th e s e t w o ph e nom e na ar e oft e n complicat e d wi t h

e ach oth e r in r e ality T h e e n d of t h e cramp s was al
.

ways accompani e d by t h i s tri ckling curr e nt ru n ning

downwards thr o ugh t h e l e gs and fe e t At t h e sam e .

ti m e that Miss Kr ue g e r fe lt this s e nsatio n in h er low e r

e xtr e miti e s s h e fe lt anoth e r si m i lar curr e nt runn i ng

thr o ugh h e r br e ast and n e ck toward s t h e h e ad ; but

j us t as s h e said s h e felt this latt er c urr e nt s h e sto pp e d ,

talkin g s udd e nly— s h e aw o k e .

101 . T he nam buli sm an d cram p

o dic w aves o f so m

co m pared — S omnamb ulism and cramp ar e th e r e for e

. ,

accompani e d in th e ir ris e progr e ss and d e clin e by a

, , ,

wav e lik e trickling mov e m e nt which mov e s upwards

-
, ,

from t h e fe e t to t h e h e ad o r dow n wards from t h e h e ad

to t h e fe e t through t h e body t h e c o urs e be ing opposit e
,

in th e s e t w o abnormal state s Th e r e is a p e rc e ptibl e

.

attack a ki nd o f physical m e chanical cours e whi ch may

,
-
,

r e adily be follow e d and may be still furth e r an alyz e d .

T h e b eginning o f Spontan e ous somnambulic sl e e p has

n o t ye t b ee n obs e rv e d ; s uch O bs e rvati on wi ll probably

b e mad e h e r e aft e r but in r e gard t o artificial s o m n am

,
~

bu lis m i t is w ell known that downward pass e s ar e

,

accompani e d by a cool trickling thr o ugh t h e body soon ,

follow e d by sl e ep We hav e s e e n th at in waking t h is

.
,

trickling b egin s in t h e fe e t pass e s through t h e body

,

and o n r e aching t h e h e ad disp e ls t h e sl e e p in t h e sam e ,

way as t h e upward pass e s do On t h e oth e r hand w e .

hav e s ee n t h at in cramps t h e a ffe ction be gins at t h e

fee t and passing through t h e body r e ach es its acm e o f
,

pain in t h e h e ad and the n in disapp e aring p asse s

, ,

d o wnwards again T h e wav e o f somnambulism fall s

.
 T HE NERVES IN SO M N AM BUL I S M . 1 29

th e r e fo r e from t h e h e ad t o t h e fe e t and th e n ris e s ;

,

whil e t he wav e o f t h e cramp ris e s upwards fro m t h e

fe e t and th e n falls again .

We cannot explain with compl e t e e xactn e ss what

thi s wav e is in what m e dium it mov e s and in what
, ,

part o f t he body i t has its chann e l and ye t w h e n w e

s e e how all t h e fi v e s e n s e s and t h e vital pow e rs ar e

a ffe cte d by t h e odic influ e nc es w e must infe r t h at t h e

,

o dic v i sion is n o t d e p e n d e nt o n t h e e ye n o r t h e odic

,

s m e ll o n t h e olfactory n e rv e n o r t h e o dic tast e o n t h e

,

palate n o r t h e h e ari n g o f magn e ts and crystal s o n t he

,
-

Sp e cific n e rv e o f t h e car but o n a p e culiar condition

,

O f t h e n e rvous syst e m with which all t h e s e ns e s ar e

,

conn e ct e d aii d which is t h e d e e p e st foundation o f our

physical s tructur e And th us i t app e ars from th e s e
.

ph e nom e na with som e show o f c e rtitud e if I hav e ,

“

rightly compr e h e nd e d th e m that that wav e is noth ing

,

mor e than a chang e in t h e odic condition o f t h e n e rv e s

t h e chan ge b e ing n em e t ic in t h e b e ginning of s o m n am
bulis m and e nding o f cramp and s o r e t ic in t h e e nding
o f somnambulism and b e ginning o f cramp .

Physiology t e ac h e s us that t h e s e at o f obs e rvation

an d r e fl e ction is in t h e forward lob e s o f t h e brain
which ar e t h e instrum e nts us e d by t h e spirit in t h e
d e v e lopm e nt of thos e faculti e s Wh e n F lour e n s cut
.

o u t t h e c e r e brum o f a dov e and H artwig t h at o f a

,

dog o r a dock th e s e animals conti n u e d to liv e for w e e ks

,

and e v e n months but th e ir condition was th at o f n u

,

brok e n sl ee p T h e sl e e p was t h e r e for e c au s e d not by

.

m e an s of t h e r e mov e d c e r e brum but by t h e r e maining

part o f t h e brain An odic O bs e rvatio n whic h be lo n gs
.

h e r e was publish e d by m e as e arly as 1 8 45 ( D yn am

,

i de Ban d I S ei te 1 9 9 ;
. I found t h at t h e odic in
6*
13 0 SO M N AM BUL I S M A N D CR AMP .

t ensity was str o nge r in t h e forward part o f t h e brai n

in t h e wak ing condition and stronge r in t h e back part
,

o f t h e brain in sl ee p so that t h e activity which d e v e

lop e s o d is in t h e c e r ebrum during t h e day and in t h e
c e r eb e llum at night S inc e w e hav e l e arn e d in th e s e
.

inv e s tigations that upward pass e s l e ading o d into t h e

,

h e ad disp e l sl ee p and e nliv e n t h e s e nsitiv e whil e

, ,

downward pass e s r e nd e r t h e s e nsitiv e qui e t and som

nambul e w e may infe r that upward pass e s by bringing
,

o d to t h e brain r e nd e r its upp e r and forw ard lob e s ao

tiv e and that downward pass e s d epriv e th e m o f th e ir

,

functional pow e r s —as though th e y w e r e cut a way

and call t h e low e r and backward parts o f t he brai n t o
e x e rcis e th e ir function in s l e e p
.
 13 2 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CRAM P .

”
o f t he subj e ct I say som e for I shall h e r e ins e rt
.
,

only so much o f t h e psyc h ical p h e nom ena of s e nsitiv e

n e ss as may be n e c e ssary to t h e be tt e r und e rstand
ing o f what has gon e b efore and parti cularly in so far,

as th e y s e rv e to t h row light on t h e origin o f s o m n am

bu li s m and cramp Bu t I s h all avoid all fur th e r in
.

v e s t i at io n o f t h e myst e ri e s o f clairvoyanc e pr e di c
g ,

tion sympathy and e cstacy I h av e always said that

, ,
.

I consid e r it too soon t o e nt e r upon t h e s e matt e rs

b e for e t he physical laws o f o d and t he physiological
foundation of s e nsitiv e ne ss ar e fairly e stablish e d In .

r e lation to th e s e t h ings th e r e for e about which oth e rs ,

hav e writt e n so many books I shall co nfi n e mys e lf t o ,

bri ef allusions .

103 . Som
n am bulism and cram p caused by m ental
excit em ent —I h av e h e r e tofor e shown that s e n s iti v e n e ss
r

is usually an inh e rit e d quality It s e e ms so far as I .

,

hav e e xam in e d my s ensitiv e s o n t h e point to hav e b ee n ,

d e riv e d by all o f th e m from th e ir par e nts Bu t .

s ingl e e v e nts causing a gr e at int e ll e ctu al activi ty may

,

induc e somnambulis m Thus Mrs L e onor e v o n P e i

. .

chi ch b e cam e somnambulic wh e n s h e had an in flam m a

tion o f t h e brain A cas e happ e n e d in S tockholm
.

w h e r e a h e alt h y lady six ty y e ar s o f ag e companion

, ,

o f Counte s s L o e w e n hj e lm fe ll upon he r h e ad and

fractur e d h e r skull s o that tr e pann ing was n e c e ssary .

S h e b e cam e somnambul ic imm e diat ely F or th e s e .

facts I am ind e bt e d t o Be rz elius and t h e Counte s s o f

L o e w e n hj elm p e rsonally Miss Zin ke l was n ev e r
.

somnambulic and I kn e w h e r for e ight y e ars b e for e

, ,

any sign of somn ambulism was discov e r e d in h er Bu t .

aft e r a combination of e ve nts w h ich happ e n e d t o e x er

 I N T RODU CTI ON . 13 3

ci s e v e ry d e pr e ssing influ e nc e on h e r mind and k e pt

a ,

h e r in low spiri t s for som e tim e I notic e d t h at h e r ,

s e nsitiv e n es s incr e as e d e xtraordinarily and s h e was

a ffe ct e d by t h e slight e st e xcitations w h ich at oth e r ,

tim e s woul d hav e pass e d unnotic e d At this p e riod .

I o bs e rv e d occasional slight attacks o f somnambulic

sl ee p lasti ng from a half to a whol e hour T h e agr e e .

abl e e xcit e m e nts o f S undays and holidays had t h e pe

culiar influ e nc e o n Miss At zm ann s d o r fe r th at th e y

always mad e h e r mor e liabl e t o somn ambulism T h e .

m e ntal e xh ilir at io n o f such days r e act e d o n h er n e r -

v o us condition S imilar obs e rvations hav e b ee n mad e

.

in clinical institut e s and hospitals E v e ry pl e asant .

surpris e thr e w Miss At zm an n s d o r fer into s o m n am bu

lis m but if t h e surpris e was disagr e e abl e o r acco m pa
,

n i e d with painful fe e lings it had t h e O pposit e influ e nc e ,

to pr e v e nt somnambulism and induc e cramps T he .

g e n e ral disposition o f t h e mind in somnam bulism as ,

I hav e r e mark e d is joyous F ri e ndship an d lov e in

,
.

th e ir mod e rat e s tag e s wh e n th e y caus e agr e e abl e fee l

,

ings promot e t h e s o m n am bulic sl e ep E v e n t h e littl e

,
.

innoc e nt o ffe nc e s against maid e n mod e sty such as ,

unint e ntionally occurr e d in making pass e s ofte n ca u s e d ,

s e nsitiv e s to fall into so m nambulism We n o w draw .

t h e g e n e ral infe r e nc e t h at e v e ry incr e as e o f s e nsitiv e

n e ss w h e th e r t emporary o r p e rman e nt an d all mild
, ,

agr e e abl e m e ntal i m pr e ssions hav e a t e nd ency t o in

duc e and str e ngt h e n somnambulic sl ee p .

T h e psychical influ e nc e s upon cramps ar e still

strong e r S omnambulism com e s st e aling ov e r t h e
.

human syst em it soot h e s com e s with sl e e p consists

, , ,

in sl ee p and ofte n in its lowe r st ag e s com e s and go e s

, ,

undiscov e r e d Oft e n it is call e r s pe akin g in dr e am s

.
”
,
13 4 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND R AMP
C .

w h ich has long b ee n so m n ambulism Bu t wi th cr amp s

.

it is difi e r en t Th ey announc e th e ms e lv e s by pain s

.
,

h e ad ach e s and stomach ach e s co l ics g e n e ral irritation

- -
, , ,

and ins e nsibl e fee t and sinc e th ey cannot be ov e rlook e d

, ,

ar e much o ft e n e r obs e rv e d I shall adduc e a numb e r

.

o f facts in which physiological e ffe cts hav e b e e n p r o

d u ce d o n s e nsitiv e s without any influ e nc e o f physical

m e an s but sol e ly by psychical cause s such as id e as
, ,

and fe elings t h e e fl e ct s b e ing pr e cis e ly t h e sam e as w e

,

produc e d by o dic tr e a t m ent as h er e t o for e explain e d .

13 6 SO MN AMBUL I S M A N D CR AMP .

avoid e d looking at h ighways plains and particul arly , ,

l e v e l snow fi e ld s S he and h e r broth e r Alfr e d G e ral

-
.

di ni h at e d ev e n to s ee a larg e out spr e ad clot h Miss -

.

Martha Le Opo ld e r looking from a balcony of my ,

dw e lling said t h e e xt e nsiv e landscap e was be autiful

, ,

but would be still mor e b e autiful if th e r e w e r e not s o

much wate r ; (t h e w h ol e width of t h e D anu be b e in g
v isi bl e s e v e ral mil es distant ) P rofe ssor v o n P e r zer .

though an artist t h e paint e r Ranft l Baron S idorowicz

, , ,

Mr Le o po lde r Mr v o n H au e r an d Mi s s von U nck

.
,
.

r e ch t s be r g all thought t h e sig h t of e v e ry larg e plain

disagr e e abl e Miss Zin k el always turns h e r e y es away

.

from a qui e t po nd and from all similar obj e cts In

, .

my park h ow e v e r t h e r e is a pond which is always

, ,

cov e r e d wit h rippl es by t h e wind and this giv e s h e r no

unpl e asant fee ling I hav e s e e n p e rsons w h o disli k e d
.

t o lo o k at t h e l e v e l floor o f a larg e hall and e v e n at ,

a bar e billiard tabl e N um e ro us thi ngs O f this kind .

ar e foun d among s e ns itiv e s .

§ 1 05 .W a v in ggr ain -fields — I was astonish e d t o .

h e ar from Miss Zink e l that t h e sight o f a waving

gra in fi el d a sourc e o f gr e at pl e asur e to m e was di s
-
. , ,

agr ee abl e t o h e r Wh e n I inquir e d farth e r M e ss r s

.
, .

S chul e r E nte r L e o po ld e r and S c h ill e r Mrs He in t l

, , , , .

and oth e rs said t h e sam e wh e n Miss Bey e r see s grain

waving in t h e wi nd s h e fe e ls as though s h e w e r e be ing
,

rock e d by it and s h e is so much a ffe ct e d that s h e

,

would be compe ll e d t o vomit if s h e did no t at once

t u rn away Mr Kl e in is a ffe cte d in t h e sam e mann e r
. . .

Mi s s G e r ald ini and Mrs Mu e ll e r cannot e ndur e th e .

s ig h t. Baron ti on P er g er lik e s to s ee grain wa vi ng

t h e distanc e but n e ar t o him t h e sight is intol e rabl e
, .
 TH E IN F LUEN CE OF SENSUOUS IMPRESS I ONS . 13 7

1 06Revo l vin g w ago n w h eels —I oft e n h e ard

. w

similar state m e nts about t h e fe e lings caus e d by

s ee i n g r e volving wagon wh e els Miss G e r aldin i .
,

w h e n in a v e ry s e nsitiv e condition complain e d t h at it ,

was e xtr e m ely unpl e asant to look at t h e wh eel s o f t h e

wagon passing h e r h ous e M e ssrs L eo po ld e r Kl e in . .
, ,

and S chul e r Miss e s Kar h an Zin kel Bey e r and M ar

, , , ,

tha Le o po ld e r Mrs Mu ell e r and Mrs He in t l e xpr e ss e d

,
. .

th e ms e lv e s to t h e sam e e ffe ct Be for e my writing .

d e sk is a r o un d tabl e t h e pot o f which r e volv e s e asily

, _

in a horizontal dir e ction Inst e ad o f draw e rs th er e.

ar e numb e r o f pig e on hol e s in t h e e d g e o f it and in

th e s e pig e on hol e s ar e plac e d note s o f m y e xp e rim ents

with all my s e nsitiv e fri e nds in alphab e tical ord e r .

This tabl e whic h tur ns at t h e slight e st t o u ch is almost ,

constantly in motion Wh e n I hav e s e nsitiv e s whom.

I wish to try I giv e t h e tabl e a twirl and t h e ey e s o f

, ,

all t h e d e mi s e nsitiv e s and high s e nsitiv e s ar e at onc e

- -

turne d away Miss Zin ke l g e ts up and l eav e s as soon

.

as t h e tabl e b egins to turn Misse s Be r n azke Hek .

, ,

and Zin kelbaier an d P rofe ss o r v o n P er g er all turn

th e ir backs t o it .

1 07 . Wat erfalls —D o e s it app e ar r e asonabl e that

r

s uch a b e autiful sight as a wat e rfall should displ e as e

s e nsitiv e s ? Miss Zin k el told m e Sh e coul d n o t com
pr e h e nd how p e opl e could find d e light in looking at
wat e rfalls t h e Sight for h e r was v e ry unpl e asant it
caus e d warm s ensation to comm enc e in h e r fe e t and
mov e upward through h e r l e gs as though upward ,

pass es w e r e b e ing mad e ov e r h e r and unl e ss Sh e should ,

tur n away Sh e would soon faint Miss Karban says

,
.

that to l o ok at t h e continual motion o f wate rfall s

,
13 8 SO M N AM BUL I S M A N D C R AM P .

mak e s h e r ill Miss e s Le o po ld er and Kl e in and Mis s

.

Bey e r fee l sickish wh e n th e y fix t h e ir e y e s on t h e w a

t e r fl o wing ov e r a wast e w e ir Mr S chul e r got sick -
. .

and almost vomit e d wh e n h e saw t h e fall o f t h e Rhin e

at S ch afl h au s e n and h e had to turn away Mrs He in t l
'

. .
,

and Zink elb ai er would swoon if th ey sho uld l o ok l o ng

at a wate rfall .

108 . Ho pping o f a caged bird .— Ho w singu lar

that t h e mov e m e nts o f a bird in a cage should be an
Obj e ct o f av e rsion for any o n e " An d ye t Baron e ss
v o n N atorp to ld m e in Octo b e r 1 8 46 that s h e found , , ,

nothing mor e into l e rabl e than t h e continual monoto

nous hopping o f a bird in a cag e from o n e stick t o
anoth e r This mig h t be a m e r e accid e ntal di slik e and
.

without importanc e Bu t as it app e ar e d t o b elong t o .

,

t h e sam e class with t h e av e rsion for waving grain

fi eld s wat e rfalls and r e volving wh ee ls I mad e furth e r
, , ,

i nquiri e s and h e ard Similar stat e m e nts from Mis s

Bey e r L ady Isab e lla von T e s s e d ik Madam e v o n R ivo
, , ,

Miss e s Be rn azke and Zin ke l M e s srs Kl e in S chul e r , .

, ,

Le o po l d e r von Offe n h e im S chi ll e r D r R ab el Jos e ph

, , ,
.
,

Z i n ke lbaier and oth e rs Mr Le o po ld e r cann ot e ndur e

,
. .

e v e n t o h e ar t h e continuous hopping o f a cag e d canary

bird much le s s to s e e it Mr von S iem ian o v s ki n u

,
. .

d e r t o o k to obli g e a fri e nd by k ee pi n g his m onk e y for

a short tim e but t h e constant jumping o f t h e an imal
was intol e rabl e .

1 09 . n d ul um — T h e mon o tonous
Swin g of a pe
s wing o f t h e p e ndulum o f a cl ock is unpl e asant
t o d cm i s e nsitiv e s and h igh s e nsitiv e s
-
Mrs Mu e l
,
-
. .

le r Baron e ss von T e s s ed ik Mr F icht n e r D r Ko e l

, , .
, .
140 SO MN AM BUL I S M A N D RAMP
C .

to and fro b e for e th e m in a small room I sho ul d .

n e v e r mak e an e n d if I sh ould e num e rat e all t h e cas es

o f s e nsitiv e p e rsons mor e o r l e ss irritat e d by mono t o ~

no us and r e p e at ing p h e nom e na t h e irritating in flu e nc e

,

b e ing e x e rcis e d som e tim e s o n t h e s tomach som e tim e s ,

o n t h e h e ad and always cr e ating a fe e ling l ik e that

,

produc e d by upward pass e s H ow e v e r le t us e xamin e

.
,

a fe w mor e cas e s of this kind .

1 10 . Chan g e of w o rk .— Wh e n
I vi site d Mi s s
At zm an n s d o r fer and foun d h er en gage d in any work ,

I o b s e rv e d that s h e did not continu e at h er work

ste adi ly lik e oth e r young ladi e s but t h at s h e s e ldom
,

k e pt at o n e thing mor e t h an half an hour at t h e e n d ,

o f which tim e s h e would comm e nc e som e thing e l s e .

W h e n I said t o h e r that Sh e would n o t finish much in

this way s h e r e pli e d that Sh e could n o t continu e long
,

at o n e thin g Sh e must hav e a c h ang e I said nothing .

mor e but though t Sh e h ad not b e e n v e ry w e ll t rain e d

,
.

No t long aft e r this Miss v o n W e ig e lsb e rg complain e d

to m e that noth ing caus e d h e r so much inconv e ni e nc e
as h e r inability to stick p e rsist e ntly at any o n e pi e c e
o f work . W h e n s h e und e rtook any task s h e could ,

nO t work at i t mor e than an hour at a t im e and t h e n ,

s h e fe lt an irr e sisti bl e impuls e t o l e av e it and g o at

som e thing e ls e Mrs Joanna An s ch u e t z spok e to m e

. .

in t h e sam e mann e r Any k ind o f occupation soon

.

b e cam e painful and fi nally intol e rabl e Miss G e ral .

di ni confe ss e d to m e that it r e quir e d t h e gr e at e st

m e ntal e x e rtion to sustain h e rs e lf in compl e ting any
thing S h e d e scrib e d t h e c h an g e from fondn e ss for
.

work t o av e rsion as sudd e n and n o t gradual Mr . .

Le Opo ld e r as m e chanic h ad to do muc h fi li

, , bu t to
 THE IN F L U EN CE or S E NSUOUS IMPRESS I ONS . 1 41

fi le long at o n e pi ec e w as a s e v e r e trial fo r him P ro .

fe s s o r s E ndlic h e r and U ng e r D r D i e sing and many ,

.
,

oth e r s who hav e at t ai n e d gr e at l e arning by long and

,

s e v e r e studi e s ar e counte r e vid e nc e s against t h e u n s t e a

,
-

d in e s s p e rhaps m e r e ly capricious o f s e nsitiv e wom e n

, ,
.

Those thr e e g e ntl e m e n just nam e d confe s s e d to m e , ,

that it is by strict moral compulsion that t h ey ar e

e nabl e d to stick t o th e ir work and that th e y fe e l a

gr e at d e sir e fo r chang e o f occupation which d e s ir e ,

oft e n plagu e s t h e m gr e atly I inquir e d about thi s .

matte r o f man y s e nsitiv e s and always r e c e iv e d t h e

sam e r e ply M r Constantin e D e lh e z cannot work
. .

st e adily forward at any lit e rary task ; if h e cannot

c h ang e h e must at l e ast stop fr e qu e ntly and att e nd t o
som e thing e ls e for a fe w minut e s D r N i e d D r . .
,
.

M ie lich h o fe r D r Machold D r Ko e ll e r and Mr F icht

,
.
,
.
,
.

n e r told m e that th e y hav e tim e s wh e n th e y cannot

fin ish a l e tt e r at a sitting but must ris e at l e ast onc e , ,

whil e writing and look afte r som e trifl e This im

, .

puls e t o constan t ly chang e occupation is v e ry strong

in Mr G ustav An s ch u e t z who cannot fin ish any part
.
,

o f a painting at o n e sitting but must always mak e ,

s e v e ral jobs of it D r Nat t e r e r Ch e vali e r von P e r

. .
,

g e r Baron von Obe r laen d e r E ngin ee r Major P hilippi

-
, , ,

Ch e vali e r v o n S idorowicz S te ph e n Kollar Mr Kra , , ,

.

t o ch w ila Mr Kl e in D r L o e w Mr S turm Mr S chu e

, .
, .
, .
,
.

le r Mr v o n Ofl en h e im Mr S artorius Ch e vali e r v o n
'

.
, ,
.
,

S ie m ian o v s ki D r R ab e l Mrs He in t l Mrs Augusta von

,
.
, .
,
.

L ittrow Martha L e o po ld er Baron e ss v o n Nat br p

, , ,

Madame v o n H au e r Miss e s He k R upp and Zin ke l , , ,

bai e r— all assur e d m e that th e y could not p e rsist long

i n any work an d that th e y fe l t an irr e pr e ssi bl e im
,

puls e to chang e th e ir occupation Miss Z in ke l cannot .

1 42 SO MN AMB U LI S M A N D CR AMP .

do any s e d e ntary work without soon g e tting h e adache ,

and b e for e long v e ry sick Miss Bey e r wh e n Sh e

, , .
,

p e rsists in any monoton o us work fee ls a he at in h er

,

h e ad and an oppr e ssiv e fee ling in t he stomach an d

brain as if upward pas s e s had b ee n mad e o v e r h e r
,
.

E mbassador S te ige r can ov e rcom e t he impul s e to

chang e occupation on ly wh e n he fee ls a strong inte l
l e ctual i n te re st in t h e matte r in hand It is t h e sam e
.

with Miss Be y e r how e v e r disagree able pe r s is te n ce in

a task may be She ye t conqu e rs h e r av e rsion wh e n s he
,

e xp e cts t o l e arn som e thing n e w and u s e ful : in such

cas e s She can ass um e an in e xhaustibl e pati e nc e and

,

e nduranc e . T h e high e r Spiritual e xcitation in this

matt e r ov e r bore t he lowe r physical o n e Mr P e ichi e h . .

and D r P fr e t s ch n e r cannot r e ad l o ng in o n e volum e

. .

but must hav e s e v e ral books about the m and change ,

from o n e t o anoth e r P ro fe s sor R o e sn e r canno t hold

.

o u t long at any o n e kind of work ; h e must hav e a

chang e In t h e cours e o f h is writing h e must ofte n

.
,

g e t up and d o som e t h ing e l s e e v e n if only t o mak e a

,

fe w scratch e s ov e r a violin . This lov e o f chang e fol

lows him e ve ryw h e r e h e can not r e main long in t h e
company o f his d e ar e st fri e nds but m us t ge t up o cca
,

s io n ally and s e e k solitu d e fo r a fe w minut e s .

T h e strong impul s e for chan ge o f work an d burning

av e rsion fo r e v e rything that last long is th e r e fore un i
v e rsal in s e nsitiv e s and r e n d e rs hi g h s e nsitiv e s inca
,
-

a bl e o f ste ady la b or
p .

I hav e o ft e n bitte rly complain e d th at j ust I w ho ,

hav e d e vo t e d mys elf wi th thoroug h ze al t o t h e study

o f s e ns itiv e n es s am e ntire ly wanting in t h e faculty o f
,

p e rce ivin g t h e odic se ns itiv es Bu t as I wrote t he

.

lam paragraph i t occurr e d to m e that it is ye t we ll

.
1 44 SO M NAM BUL I S M A N D CR AM P .

H as s physician t o t h e King o f S w e d e n finds nothin g

, ,

so trying as t h e standing at Cour t ; if h e can fin d a .

plac e to support hims e lf on a fing e r it is a gr e at r e li e f ,

to hi m .D r N cid a p assionat e hunt e r finds only o n e

.
, ,

discomfort in hunting that h e has to stand still so ,

long this e fl e ct s hi m so much that h e is oft e n n e ar to

fai n ting Bu t if h e can find t h e l e ast support upon
.

whic h t o l e an it is a gr e at r e li e f t o him T h e S wi s s
,
.

ambassador Mr S t e ig e r carri e s a can e for this caus e

,
.
,

only T h e moth e r o f L ady Sylvia v o n V arady could

.

n o t b e ar to sta n d still and s h e h e rs e lf has t h e sam e ,

av e rsion but s h e fe e ls much b e tt e r if s h e can find a

,
.

r e sting point for o n e o f h e r fing ers Without such a .

support s h e g e ts a pain in t h e stomach In t h e morn .

ing s h e can e ndur e standing and kn ee li n g much b e t t e r

t h an in t h e aft e rnoon Mr D elh e z can n e ith e r kn e e l . .

nor stand Still kn e eling soon giv e s hi m a pain in t h e

s tomach Miss R e ich el is a ffe ct e d in t h e sam e way by
.

s tanding Miss Z in kel g e ts a stomach ach e from

.
-

standing and if Sh e p e rsists without fin di ng som e th ing

,

to l e an upon s h e swoons away t h e sam e may be s aid

, _ _

o f Cat h arin e R upp L ady Baron e ss v o n T e s s e dik

.

and Jos e ph Czap e k g e t s ick at t h e stomach wh en th ey

hav e to stand long P rofe ssor E ndlich e r could only .

e ndur e t h e kn ee ling n e c e ssary in church c e r e mo n i e s

wh e n h e is abl e to r e st upon his h ee ls Miss R e ich e l .

b e longs to a r e ligious ord e r and b e ing r e quir e d to go ,

through num e rous r eli g ious e x e rcis e s with kn e e ling ,

was paine d so muc h th e r e by that s h e w as attack e d by ,

Sev e r e stomac h cram ps and o ft e n almos t lost h e r con

-

s cio u s n es s Mrs K ie n e s be r g e r standing too long in

. .
,

my dark ch amb e r w h il e I was e xp e rim e nting with

,

h e r , fe ll down in a swoon b ut soon a ft e r awok e lying ,

 THE INFLU NC E E OF SENSUOUS IM PRESS I ONS . 145

down its e lf b e ing a r e m e dy for h er illn e s s . S uch

falls ofte n happ e n e d to h er .

1 12 . lll us ic. —T h e
impr e ssions mad e upon s e nsi
t iv e s by music ar e v e ry d ifl e r e n t according to t h e d e
gr e e o f th e ir s e nsitiv e n e ss S e nsitiv e s lik e oth e r .

m e n ar e or d inarily fo nd o f harmonious ton e s

,
e
and ,

e v e n mor e fond t h an most o th e rs be caus e t h e y ar e ,

p e culiarly susc e ptibl e and all t h e fe e lings hav e a

gr e at e r influ e nc e upon th e m I Shall n o t dilat e upon .

this point but m e r e ly m e ntion a fe w r e lations which

,

d e s e rv e a plac e h e r e .

Mrs K ie n e s be r g e r lik e d t h e piano music which Sh e

.
-
,

found in my hous e but n o t always It was pl e asant

,
.

to h e r wh e n h e r n e rv e s w e r e in a qui e t condition but ,

unpl e asant wh e n h er n e rv e s w e r e unusually Sensitiv e .

It was t h e sam e with Miss Bey e r This how e v e r may .

b e said also o f oth e r dis e as e s Bu t a hint is s uppli e d .

by anoth e r O b s e rvation Mr Kl e in told m e that h e . .

was a gr e at fri e nd of music but it must n o t last mor e ,

than a quart e r o f an hour th e n it gav e him t h e h e ad ,

ac h e Mr S chul e r Spok e to t h e sam e e ffe ct And

. . .

th e n all music in t h e high not e s is disagr e e abl e to

many s e nsitiv e s for e xampl e D r Ko e ll e r Miss G e ral
,
.
,

dini e t c H ow e v e r I found som e s e nsitiv e s w ho dis

,
.

lik e all music o f th e s e Mr Le o po ld e r is o n e

,
. .

113 . Sum m ary.— If

now tak e a g e n e ral vi e w
we

o f all th e s e p h e nom e na r e lating to t h e influe nc e C f

s e nsuous impr e ssions and s ee k for g e n e ral c h aract e r
,

i s t ics w e do n o t r e adily find t h e m o n t h e surfac e

,
.

W h e r e is t h e common bond b e tw e e n a broad plai n ,

waving grain fi e ld r e volving w h e e ls wat e rfalls h o p

-
, , ,
1 46 SO MN AMB U LI S M AND CR AMP .

ping birds in cage s swinging p e ndulums monotono us, ,

t h umping st e ady o ccupation long standing and kn e e l

, ,

ing and t h e duration o f mus ic

, T h e pictur e of a wid e
plain s ee ms to be just t h e opposite o f that o f a wavin g
grain fi eld an d so also t h e swingin g o f t h e foot as
-
,

compar e d with s tand ing still and o f d rumming with t h e

fin g e rs as compar e d with a l e ngth y pi e c e of m Ii Sic w e ll ,

e x e cut e d S inc e t h e influ e nc e o f th e s e things did not

.

d e p e nd o n th e ir r e mot e n e ss but was som e tim e s e x e r,

ci s e d at consid e rabl e distanc e s t h e cau s e cannot lie

imm e diat ely in t h e o dic radiation whos e p o w e r as ,

that o f a radiat ing principl e must be consid e r e d to ,

d e cr e as e with t h e squar e o f t h e distanc e T h e caus e .

,

must th e n be sought e ls ewh er e and it is t o be found

, , ,

I think in s ubj e ctiv e influ e nc e s which O p e rat e fir st

, , ,

n o t upo n t h e body but upon t h e mind o f t h e s e nsitiv e

, ,

and from th e r e ar e s e nt o u t t o t h e mat e rial organs .

In futur e chapte rs w e Shall s e e t h e pow e r e x e rcis e d

by m e ntal impr e ssions in t h e domain o f Cd ; and in
t h e ph e nom e na just e num e rat e d w e hav e probably .

s e e n t h e low e st manife stations o f this pow e r All .

th e s e t h ings hav e t h e common fe atur e that th ey fi x t h e

atte ntion and e xcit e it ov e r and ov e r again but n ev e r
, ,

s atisfy it fairly wi th o n e strong impr e ssion o f pl e asur e

,

o r displ e asur e T h e eye mov e s ov e r a wid e plain and

. ,

finds no r e sting plac e whil e a waving grain fi eld -

,

r evol v ing w h ee ls wat e rfalls a hoppi n g bird a p e ndu

, , ,

l um an d a t h umb mill b e gin th e ir work an e w ev e ry

,
-

mom ent and mak e no en d o f i t b e caus e t h e motion

, ,

go e s o n uninte rrupt e dly and as t h e lo c k e r o u finds no

,
-

r e st h e b e com e s un e asy Monotonous continuation

,
.

in spac e as in tim e wi th out r e st o r t h e attain ,

m e nt o f t h e e n d is th e infe rnal tortur e su ffe r e d

,
1 48 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AMP .

CHAP T ER X II .

I NF LUE NCES OF M EN TAL A C TIV IT Y .

1 14 . Mental t —485
exer io n
m m e x e rtion o f t h e

think ing po w e r is much l e ss fr e qu e nt than is g e n e rally

b eli e v e d Mod e rn p h il o sophy has s hown that much
.

o f that suppos e d by t h e anci e nts t o be m e ntal lab o r

, ,

is t h e spontan e ou s association o f lik e with lik e in o ur

thoughts proce e ding without any e x ertion o n o ur part
,
.

T h e r e duction o f o ur id e as t o judgm e nt s and conclu

s ions is don e oft e n without t h e l e ast e ffort and tak e s ,

plac e fr e qu e ntly as a matt e r n e c e ssary to o ur natur e

and against o ur will In thos e cas e s h o w ev e r wh e r e
.
, ,

thinking and t h e laborious combination o f thought fo r

t h e formation o f n e w conc e ptions comm e nc e t h e s e n
, ,

s it iv es ar e strongly a ffe ct e d P rofe ssor E ndlich e r suf

.

fe r e d from alm o st constant h e ada ch e s in cons e qu e nc e

o f hi s i n t ell ectu al labors S up e rint e nd e nt P au e r
.

s truggl e s conti nually with pains in t h e h e ad and sto m

ach I w as le d t o discov e r t h e s e nsitiv en e ss o f Mr

. .

Tirka by his fr e qu e nt fits o f m egrim Mr Custos . .

Koll e r wh e n h e e x e rts his mind is always t h e victim

, ,

o f m e grim .T h e s am e may be said o f Mr F ichtn e r .

,

D r N atte r e r D r L e o w D r N ie d Mr v o n Ofl e n h e im
.
,
.
, .
,
.
,

Mr K r at o chw ila and all s e ns iti v e m en w h o ar e r e

.
 I NFLUENCES O F M EN TA L A CTIV ITY . 1 49

quir e d by th e ir occup ation to e ngag e in much m e n

tal labor I t h e n pu t qu e stions to Miss G ir t le r in
.

somnambulis m d e manding som e r e fl e ction s h e almost ,

lost h e r wits and h e r condition wh ic h always e n d e d

,

with a flood o f t e ars show e d th at s h e was s o stron gly

a ffe ct e d t h at s h e could n o t e ndur e it lo n g S imilar .

qu e stions put to Miss N o w o t n y caus e d t h e br e aking

Mrs Jo anna An
°

o u t of clonic cramps in h e r arms . .

~

Schu e tz oft e n fe ll into cram ps s e v e ral hours afte r I ha d

mad e visits to h e r and pli e d he r wit h qu e stions whic h
s e t h e r t o thinking I hav e witn e ss e d but n e gl e ct e d
.

t o not e d o wn m any Oth e r similar cas e s whe r e in t h e

e x e rtio n o f t h e thinking pow e r was always follow e d

by cramp t h e d e v e lopm e nt o f which was pr e cis e ly si

,

milar to that obs e rv e d wh e r e s o r e t ic influ e nc e s ar e at

work If D r Machold Constantin e Be lh e z Miss Zin
. .
, ,

k e l and many oth e rs e x e rt e d th e ms e lv e s in t h e dark

c h ambe r to s ee odic lights which app e ar e d faint to
th e m and fix e d th e ir att e ntion for a lo n g tim e o n a
,

s ingl e O bj e ct t h e e ffort caus e d warmth in t h e h e ad

, ,

( physicians call this a fl o w o f bloo d t o t h e brain ) cold

n e ss in t h e fe e t h e adach e and oth e r s e nsations lik e

, ,

t h os e produc e d by upward pass e s and su ch as ar e fe lt

,

wh e n cramp and pains of t h e stomach ar e approac h ing .

On e day I s aw Miss R e ic h e l fall into somnambulism .

He r physician wish e d to u s e this condition to g e t all

s orts o f fortun e t e lli n g from h e r Amo n g oth e r t h ings
.

h e ask e d h e r what had b e com e o f c e rtain missing stat e

bonds This horrifi e d m e but I could not pr e v e nt i t
.
,

without a quarr e l with t h e stupid physician wh o w as ,

e xtr em e ly z e alous to discov e r t h e thi e f by somnam bulic

clairv o yanc e T h e s e nsitiv e urg e d by h im b u t unabl e

.
, ,

t o s ati s fy him sought t o fr e e h e rs e lf o f him by vari o us

,
1 50 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

pr e t e xts and at l e ast att e mpt e d to satisfy t h e d e mand s

,

mad e upon h e r Afte r e v e ry such vain att e mpt s h e

.
,

invariably had an attack o f cramp In t h e cours e o f

.

half an hour this pass e d away and th e n t h e physician

,

b e gan again wi th his foolish to rtur e s and c e r eb ral

,

cram ps follow e d S o it w e nt th rough a whol e afte r

.

noon ; e v e ry e fl o r t in m e ntal lab or r e sulting in a fit

'

o f cramp .Mr Kollar su ffe r e d with alte rnating m e

.

grims and stomach ac h e s— t h e form e r b e ing caus e d

by inte ll e ctual e x e rtion . E v e n r e adin g r e quir e s a
'

m e ntal e fi o r t mor e s e v e r e than s e nsitive s ar e abl e to

e ndur e . Wh e n Mrs Joanna An s ch u e t z and Miss At z
.

m an n s d o r fe r w e r e unusually s e nsitiv e th e y did not v e n

tur e t o tak e up a book wi t h out e xposing th e ms e lv e s to

cramps . P rinc e ss W in d is ch gr ae t z could n o t allow
h e rs elf t h e slig h t e st pl e asur e in r e ading without having
to s u ffe r with cramps for it T h e l e ast r e fl e ction t h e
.
,

most unimportant int ell e ctual e ffort induc e d cramps in

t h e highly susc e ptibl e s e ns iti v e s .
 1 52 SO MN AMB UL I S M AND CR AMP .

This o dic mov em e nt is call e d fo rth by psych o logical

acti on .

I hav e o ft e n wi tn e ss e d a s e nsitiv e woman be art i

ly e mbr ac e and r e p e at e dly kiss h e r husband wh e n ,

Sh e w as to b e s e parat e d from him fo r h alf a day and ,

th e n fall into v iol e nt cramp s Afte r thi s had fr e .

qu e ntly happ en e d s h e had t o r e sign h e rs elf to sup

,

pr e ss t h e mani fe statio n o f t h e t e nd e r fee l ings Thi s

"

l ady told m e that Sh e had t o be car e ful not to kis s h er

o w n child as h e artily as S h e wish e d for fe ar that s h e ,

woul d hav e cramps in all h er limbs T h e m e ntal .

action w as so d e e p and pow e rful that it pro duc e d a

s o r e t ic i n flu e nc e o n t h e n e rv o us sy s t e m .

§116 . Sens iti ve w o m l y e

vir n
tu o us —
us ua l
What
e v e r may hav e b ee n my e xpe ri e nc e in r e gard t o t h e

e r o tic mov e m e nts in s e nsitiv e s an d somn ambulists I ,

must ye t d e ny t h e ass e rtion so oft e n m ad e that wom e n

, ,

in this c o ndi tion ar e mor e inclin e d than oth e rs t o am o

rous though t s I hav e n o t foun d it so On t h e co n
. .

t r ar y I hav e oft e n foun d a p e culiar ch as t e n e ss

, T he .

gr e at majority o f t h e s e nsitiv e miss e s known to m e ,

ar e mod e st and pur e And t h e caus e may b e r e adily

.

und e rstood ; it li e s in t h e cultivation o f th e ir fin e r

fe e lings which w e r e n e c e ssarily d e v elop e d from t h e ir
,

susc e ptibl e consti tutions an d from th e ir cus tom of s e lf

,

control in t h e innum e rab l e littl e trials and v e xati ons

c o n s e qu e nt upon th e ir s e nsi tiv e n e ss S e nsitiv e s hav e
.

a mor e d e licate m e ntal orga n ization than n o n se nsi -

t iv es an d thi s sup e rior d e licacy is impr e ss e d in all

,

th e ir fee lin gs thoughts d e sir e s and charact e r

, , , .

117 . G rief.— Wh e n anything unpl e asant h ap

 I NFLUENCES OF T H
E FEEL I N G S ,
A FFE CTI ONS , so . 1 53

p e n e d t o Mr G ustav An s ch u e t z h e imm e diately fe lt

.
,

a strong h e adach e which last b e for e it h ad continu e d

, ,

long was r e fl e ct e d in t h e b o dy as a pain o f t h e stomach

, .

Wh e n D r Machold lost a much b e lov e d child h e fe lt a

.

s e v e r e ach e in t h e s tomach and t h e n a d ifli cu l t y in his ,

r e spiration L ady Baron e ss N atorp kn e w littl e of h e r

.

s e nsitiv e s usc e ptibility but wh e n Sh e was s e v e r e ly

smitt e n by misfortun e somnambulism was sp e e dily d e ,

v e lo p e d in h e r Tim e which cur es all sorrow cur e d

.
, ,
_

h ers also Mis s Kru e g e r sp e e dily fe el s t h e e ffe ct o f

.

gri e f in h e r stomach and in distur banc e o f t he pulsatio n

, ,

o f h e r h e art Mrs Joanna An s ch u e t z su ffe r e d from child

. .

h o o d up with h e adach e s but w h e n in h er s e v e nt e e nth

,

y e ar s h e lost both h e r par e nts h e r h e alth was s e v e r e ly ,

a ffe cte d h e adac h e chang e d to cramp in h er stomach

, ,

back arms and fe e t and th e s e cramps continu e to afllic t

, ,

h e r to t h e pr e s e nt tim e Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r w h il e
.
,

living in my hous e with h e r liv e ly t e mp e ram ent con

, ,

duct e d h e rs elf som e tim e s in an impati e nt mann e r and I ,

s how e d m ydissatisfaction by n o t visiting h e r for s e v e ral

days This r e nd e r e d h e r un e asy and soon brought o n

.

cramps At anoth e r tim e Sh e r e c e iv e d a l e tt e r from

.

he r fath e r giving h e r a s ev e r e chiding

,
I imm e diat ely .

saw h er gr o w ill with attacks o f h e adach e and cramp

, ,

w h ich O ft e n r e turn e d in t h e cours e of t h e d ay Miss .

N o w o t n y h ad almost r e cov e r e d from h e r daily fits o f

catal e psy wh e n un exp e cte dly coldn e ss o f t h e fee t
, , ,

s tomach pains h e adach e h e at in t h e h e ad swoon s and

, , , ,

t e tanus got t h e control o f h e r W e did n o t know t h e .

caus e of t h e r elaps e F inally w e l e arn e d that s h e h ad

.
,

r e c e iv e d a l e tte r with som e pain ful n e ws w h ic h s h e ,

took sor e ly to h e art This pur e ly int e ll e ctual impr e s

.

sio n h ad thrown h e r back into t h e most viol e nt cr amps .

7.
1 54 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

Miss Z in kel wh e n in a sickly condition be cam e s o

, ,

susc e p t ibl e t h at e v e ry littl e m oral misfortun e afl e ct e d

,

h e r v e ry d e e ply A Slight contradiction or only t he

.
,

fe ar that s h e might not h av e don e e v e ryth ing that was

e xp e ct e d o f h e r r e nd e r e d h e r so un e asy that s h e was
,

v isite d by s e v e r e fits o f cramps which pass e d ov e r into

s omnambulism .

1 18 . Mental depres s io n s al t erin g th e o di c em an a

ti o ns — Bu t t h e s e nsitiv e s fe e l th e s e subj e ctiv e occur
r e n ce s of th e ir o w n int e rnal condition not in t h is man
,

n e r only th e y also fe e l t h e m o bj ectiv e ly and in r e gard

,

t o t h is point I hav e coll e ct e d som e not e worthy o bs e r

v at io n s ab out mys e lf Mor e than onc e whil e I was
.
,

e ngag e d in t h e pr e s e nt inv e stigation I was s e v e r e ly

,

smitt e n by fat e W h e n Miss R e ich e l was living in my

.

hous e in 1 8 44 I r e c e iv e d a l e tt e r informing m e of a
,

larg e loss of prop e rty by t he dishon e sty o f a fri e nd .

I said nothing to any o n e but s h ut u p t h e pain in my

,

br e ast and tri e d to b e ar mys e lf so that no o n e should

,

p e rc e iv e what I fe lt It was my custom wh e n I mad e

.
,

my daily visit t o Miss R e ic h e l in t h e morning to giv e ,

h er my hand and let h e r try w h at odic str e ngt h S h e

could p e rc e iv e in it Its str e ngth a s Sh e fe lt and d e
.

scri be d it always accord e d e xactly with t h e cours e of

,

my sl e e p so that wh e n Sh e said I was odically w e ak I

, ,

had invariably pass e d a b ad night : w h e n s h e sai d I

was odically strong I had alwa y s Sl e pt w e ll T h e cor .

r e ct n e s s o f h e r p e rc e ption was e sta b lis h e d by long co n

tinn e d e xp e rim e nts , A fe w hours aft e r I h ad r e c e iv e d

t h e l e tt e r wit h t h e bad n e ws a b ov e m e ntion e d I w e nt
t o Miss R e ic h e l and le t h e r fe e l my h and S h e had .

fe lt i t but a Short tim e wh e n s h e mad e an un us u al ge

1 56 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

bu t m e n tall y ill and this had s o alt e r e d my odic at

,

m o s h e r e that s h e a d e mi s e nsitiv e discov e r e d i t be for e

p
-
, ,

comi ng n e ar t o m e S h e coul d not e xplain t o m e h o w

.

s h e fe lt but s h e said it w as mor e u n ple as s an t than t h e

,

worst upward pass .

At anoth e r tim e I had b ee n ang e r e d just be for e,

going t o t he dark chamb e r wh e r e Miss Z in k e l w as ,

awaiting m e I had scarc e ly S e t down be sid e h e r wh e n

.
,

s h e sai d I m ust be o u t o f humor— s h e could fe e l it in

my pre s e nc e which produc e d t h e same fe e l ing in h e r

,

as a south w e st wind This was an o d positiv e lading

-
.
-
.

My whol e body was c h arge d with o d wh e r e in positiv e ,

n e ss had t h e pr e domin anc e an d str e am e d o u t in all ,

di r e ctions .

In N ov e mb e r 1 851 I r ec e i ve d anoth e r pai n ful pi ec e

, , ‘

o f n e ws .I e nd e avor e d i n vain t o conc e al my gri e f ,

for though non s e nsitiv e s o bs e rv e d nothing M iss

,
-
,

Z in k e l discov e r e d that som e thing was wrong i m m e di ,

ate ly aft e r e nt e ring my room S h e said s h e fe lt it at .

a distanc e and that it fill e d t h e whol e room I le t h er

, .

tak e my right hand in h er l e ft S h e found m e v e ry .

ill n o t as in physical illn e ss but e vid e ntly in a dif

, ,

fe r e n t way S h e r ecogn i z e s corpo r e al illn e ss by a luk e

.

warm and worm lik e cr e e ping s e nsation in h e r arm

-
,

not e xte nding to t h e stomach M e ntal e xcit e m e nt .

how e v e r afl e ct e d t h e s tomach imm e dia t e ly and so

, ,

strongly that s h e was not only attack e d by cramp th e r e ,

but also by t he pain ful worm lik e crawling ov e r he r ,

-

stomac h My pass es w e r e no long e r b e n e ficial but

.
,

poisonous if I may so styl e th e m t h e odic e manations

,

o f my right h and w e r e no long e r coolin g but l uk e ,

warm o d positiv e and p e stil e ntial I h ad no r e m e dy

,
-
.

to cur e t h e s e nsitiv e wh o m I h ad infe ct e d My odic .

 I NF L UENCES OF T HE FEELI NGS A FFEC TI ONS , , s o . 1 57

conditi o n c o ntinu e d t o grow w e ak e r through the day ,

and I had not r e cov e r e d until t he morr o w .

1 19 . Mo ral s ulfe rin g causes an o d -p o s i ti ve dis

turbance of t he o dic equilibri um —
F rom this w e may
und e rstand t h e condition o f t h e s e nsitiv e s wh e n th ey
fee l a moral su ffe ring it is a disturbanc e o f t h e ir odic
e quilibrium an a bnormal e xcitation o f odic positi v e
,
-

n e ss at t h e cost o f its n e gativ e count e rw e ight And .

t h us it b e com e s int e lligibl e why und e r suc h circum, ,

s tanc e s s e nsitiv e s ar e afllict e d by h e adach e and stom

,

achach e both e fl e ct s o f positiv e and s o r e t ic disturb

,

an e cs o f t h e odic e quilibrium .

In tr e ating h e r e o f t h e psychical sid e o f t h e odic

ph enom e na w e rub ag aIn s t t h e physical ite m o f in fec
,

tion T h e disord e rs by which I was afl e ct e d pass e d

.

quickly by bar e touch to oth e r p e rsons n o t that a pal

, ,

pah l e poisonous matte r was transfe rr e d into th e ir

blood but from much fin e r and much d e e p e r grounds
,

b e caus e a mi ghty forc e intimat ely conn e ct e d wi th t h e

,

d ee p e st vital pow e rs has b e e n distur b e d thrown from

,

i t s balanc e and its whol e influ e nc e o n a h e althy p e rson

,

e ntir e ly chang e d H e r e w e find infe ction in a hig h e r

.

Sph e r e than has hith e rto b e e n dr e am e d of In th e s e .

app e aranc e s w e r e cogniz e t h e caus e o f t h e imm e ns e in

fl u e n ce e x e rt e d by moral e vils o n t h e ph ysical orga
n izat io n w e kn e w ind e e d t h e fact b e caus e it s h ows
; , , ,

it s e lf S O viol e ntly in all dis e as e s be caus e it cr e at e s ,

dis e as e s wh e r e non e w er e b e for e and e v e n b e caus e ,

m e ntal afli ict io n s unl e ss t h e caus e s be r e mov e d may

, ,

l e ad to d e ath : but w e did not und e rstand t h e cause

w h ich is h e r e brought to light and shown to be an o d
po s itiv e dis t urbanc e .
 1 58 SO M NAMBUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

1 20 . Ve xati o n an d an ger . —D iscont e nt

and ang e r
work mor e rapidl y than sorrow b e caus e th ey ar e mor e
pow e rful T h e last cas e s r e lat e d o f my own exp e ri e nc e
.

r e ally b e long und e r this h e ad but as th ey occurr e d ,

outsid e o f t he sph e r e o f t he s e nsitiv e s I hav e thought ,

b e st to k e e p th e m S e parat e .

Wh e n e v e r Mr G ustav e An s ch u e t z b e cam e angry o r

.

v e x e d h e is imm e diat e ly attack e d by h e adach e and in

t h e stomach Mr Le Opo ld e r is attack e d by stomach
. .

ach e in such cas e s T h e cabine t mak e r Bollman has a

.
-

s o n w h o inh e rit e d s e nsitiv e n e ss and i s a ffe ct e d with

S t V itus danc e
. T h e t w o w e r e O nc e crossing t h e
.

str e e t w h e n th e y m e t a fe llow scholar of t h e boy who

-

d e scrib e d to t h e fath e r t h e disord e r caus e d in t h e

s chool by t h e son wh e r e at t h e latt e r was s o v ex
,

e d t h at h e had a fit of his convulsiv e dancing in t h e

str e e t .

Mrs Kr ebs with dr ew in t o almost exclusiv e lo n eli

.

n e ss and if S h e was Spok e n t o in any mann e r Sh e h e ,

cam e impati e nt If s h e was both e r e d wit h many

.

qu e stio n s s h e gr e w angry and soon fe ll into cramp .

Contradiction caus e d a full outbr e ak o f cramps M r s . .

Joanna An s ch u e t z could be thrown into cramps at any

mom e nt by an absurd qu e stion r e p e at e d Se v eral tim e s ,

as thoug h t h e answ e r had not be e n und e rstood This .

mak e s h e r angry and t h e cramps com e upon h er at

onc e as though som e upward pass e s h ad be e n mad e
,

ov e r h e r T h is w e r e t h e e fl e ct s o f qu e stions alon e
. .

Mr K o w at s is oft e n s o busi e d with o fficial duti e s that

.

h e cann ot g e t h om e till lat e at night T h e continu .

o u s e xp e ctation and m e ntal strain with w h ic h his wife ,

awaits his r e turn and t h e num e rous d e c e ptions caus e d

,

by oth e r p e rs o ns passing gradually bring o n an irri

,
1 60 SO M N AMBUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

low and last till t h e n e xt day He r fr e qu e nt cramps

.

aft e r e v e ry v e xation dat e from a c e rt ai n occasion wh e n

s h e fe ll o u t wit h a p e rson who had pr e viously e njoy e d

h e r high es t ee m t h e quarr e l throwin g h e r int o v iol e nt

,

paroxysms o f cramp S he is lik e many s e nsitiv es

.
, ,

e asily ang e r e d and this always produc e d e vil e ffec ts

,

in he r somnamb ulism and cramp Ang e r produc e d in .

Miss Beye r that oth e r s o r e t ic odic e ffe ct o f t he s w e l

li n g ov e r t h e stomach with t he worm lik e crawling in -

it Miss K ie n e s be r g er was thrown in to cramp by

.

e v e ry fit o f v e xatio n o r ang e r W h e n much o ffe nd e d

.
,

long attacks of somnamb ul is m with alte rnating cramps, ,

follow som e time s la s ting w ee ks o r months E v e ry

, .

v e xation had t h e sam e influ e nc e o n Miss Zin k el as SO

r e ti e tr e atm e nt Any loss in h e r dom e stic a ffairs caus e d
.

by t h e car e l e ssn e ss o f t h e s e rvants und e r h e r was fo l

low e d by an e xcitation o f h er s e nsitiv e susc eptibility ,

and by pain in t h e stomach Onc e Sh e was irritate d

.

by a r e fusal o f h e r s e rvants t o ob e y ord e rs and im ,

m e di at e ly th e r e was a pr e ssing pain in t h e solar pl ex us ,

w h ic h Sh e call e d a sto machac h e Afte r such a fit s h e .

could n o t e at fo r a whol e day nor Sl ee p and t h e pain , ,

allow e d h e r no r e st It Sh e succ ee d e d in going t o

.

S l ee p s h e w as b e s e t by painful dr e ams which caus e d

, ,

h e r t o w e e p and w h e n S h e wok e up s h e found h e rse lf

,

bath e d in t e ars and Sh e was so a ffe cte d that th e se con

,

tinn e d in an i nvolun tary and cramp lik e flow Th e n -

.

cam e a fe e lin g of r e li e f such as follows t h e d is ap

,

e ar an ce o f cramp
p .

1 21 . Vio lent
t nt exci e m e w eak e ning o dic percep
ti o n — A n o te worthy fe ature
. of physical in flu e nc e on
 I NFLUENCES OF T HE F EELINS , AF F ECT IONG S , s o . 161

s e nsitiv e n e ss is t h e d e pr e ssing e ffe ct oft e n caus e d by

viol e nt e xcit e m e nt In t h e last paragraph I gav e an
.

e xampl e o f Miss Be y e r in whom a fit of ang e r caus e d

,

a loss o f s e nsibility in t h e upp e r and low e r e xtr e miti e s .

S om e t h ing Similar was o bs e rv e d in Miss Zin ke l I .

wis h e d o n e day t o arrang e som e n e w ch e mical pr e pa

rations that I had just r e c e iv e d in th e ir o d ch e mical ,
-

ord e r which has b e e n discov e r e d by Sensitiv e s in sim pl e

,

s ub s tanc e s by t h e touch To my astonishm e nt h er s en

.

s at io n s w e r e in e xact and u n st e ady as I had n e v e r ,

found th e m On inquiry I l e arn e d that s h e had b ee n

.

ch e at e d o u t o f a g uld e n in a v e ry o ffe nsiv e way S h e .

was comp e ll e d t o swallow h er indignatio n at t h e

rascality be caus e t h e rascal whom s h e kn e w pr e t e nd
, ,

e d t o b e v e ry hon e st and s h e co ul d n o t ge t proof

,

again s t him This suppr e ssi o n o f h er ang e r had such

.

a p e culiarly int e ns e e ffe ct o n h e r n e rvous disposition

that t h e susc e ptibility fo r 0 d was lost for a day and ,

S h e could n o t d is t in g n is ch substanc e s by it This ap .

p e a r e d still plain e r in anot h e r cas e S h e was v e ry

.

angry at som e thing that had happ e n e d in t h e h ous e and ,

ind ee d s e nsitiv e s g e n e rally hav e irritabl e dispositions

, .

S oo n aft e r this fit o f ang e r I wish e d t o mak e som e ex

e im e n t s o f fe e ling with h e r but h e r p e rc e ptiv e pow e r
p r ,

w as almost gon e . At t h e sam e tim e s h e s h ow e d m e ,

that h e r hands w e r e moist clamm y and swoll e n as

, , ,

wh e n subj e cte d to s o r e t ic i n flu e nc e s such fo r instanc e

, , ,

as holding copp e r in t h e hand o r a part pass down t h e

,
-

arm stopping at t h e wri s t Anoth e r fit o f ang e r at

,
.
,

t h e diso be di e nc e o f a s e rvant r e nd e r e d h e r almost

,

ins e nsi bl e to odic s e nsations s h e scarc e ly felt my pass

es and hands ; h er fee t b e cam e in s e nsi bl e and h e r ,

l egs h e avy as l e ad Ang e r th e r e for e had an e ffe ct

.
, ,
162 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

lik e a dis e as e and thr e w

,
t he whol e b o dy in t o an o d

positiv e s o r e t ic stat e .

1 22 . Vent i n g anger a relief fo r o dic ill n ess — It

has app e ar e d o n various o ccasions that wh e n Mis s , ,

Zin k e l can Sp e ak o u t h e r ang e r and g et an e xplanation ,

o r s atisfacti o n and thus disc h arg e h e rs e lf o f h e r pas

,

s ion mor e o r l e ss pain and cram p in t h e s tomach fol

,

lows and th e s e go away soon o r can be r e adily driv e n

, ,

o ff by i e m e t ic pass e s In s uch cas e s an o utbr e ak o f

I .
,

t e ars is p e culiarly b e n e ficial t o h er and som e tim e s it ,

compl e t e ly cur e s t h e who le o dic timorousn e ss that Op

pr e ss e s h e r Bu t wh e n s h e cannot e xpr e ss h e rs elf and
.
,

must swall o w h e r wrath t h e cons e qu e nc e s ar e alway s

,

wors e for t h e sto mach ; that i s fo r t h e solar pl exus , ,

probably t h e whol e sym path e tic n e rv e [ R e ich e nbach

giv e s it t h e e xpr e ssiv e nam e o f Bau chgehirn t h e ,

brain o f t h e b e lly ] for th e n s h e might be c e rtai n

,

o f a s e v e r e cramp o f t h e s t o m ach p p as s in g th e nc e ,

through t h e pr e um o g as t r ic n e rv e to t h e br e ast dis ,

t u r bin g e v e rything with a p ai nful crawling motion , ,

and rising into t h e n e ck wh e r e it cr amp e d t h e throat

, ,

and thr e at e n e d su ffocat ion This was a pr o gr e s s

.

which I had oft e n obs e rv e d in gr e at e r o r l e ss str e ngth

in high s e nsitiv e s and whic h wh e n it e nte r e d th e
-
, ,

brain caus e d t h e most fe arful cas e s o f Opis t h o t o

,

n u s and cramps o f t h e s pinal m arrow Wh e n I was .

n e ar ,
t h e att acks w e r e n o t at all dang e rous ; I
loos e n e d t h e cramps by a fe w n e m e t ic pass e s ye s i t ,

was e nough th at I plac e d my rig h t Sid e t o t h e s e nsi

’
t i v e s l e ft and laid my h and o n his stomach and in l e ss
, ,

th an a minut e t h e cramps gav e way and all t h e fe arful

viol e nc e o f t h e attack w as still e d All th e s e pur e ly .
1 64 SO M N AMBUL I S M AND CR AMP .

e v e ry thu nd e r clap thr e w h e r into cramp and cata

-
,

l e psy Onc e s he had just tak e n a littl e board into

.

h er hand from min e wh e n a mod e rat e thund e r clap

,
-

bro ught o n such cramps th at it w as impossibl e for m e

t o tak e t h e board away although I e x e rt e d all m y
,

s tr e ngth but at t h e e n d o f a fe w minut e s h er cramps ,

r e laxe d and t h e board fe ll by i ts o w n w e igh t

,
.

On o n e occasion Sh e was in somnambulism wh e n a

s torm was passing .At e v e ry thun d e r clap Sh e had -

clonic cramps of t h e ar m s At anoth e r tim e a distant

.

firing o f cannon was h e ard in t h e hous e and at e v e ry ,

Shot h e r arms w e r e cram pe d E v e n any sudd e n noise

.
,

such as t h e slamming o f a w in d o w s h u t t e r o r a door ~

,

caus e d cramps aft e r a lap s e of a few minut e s Mis s .

Cath e rin e R upp b e cam e catal e ptic wh e n s h e h e ard

thun d e r T h e falling o f a broom up o n t he floor was
.

su ffi ci e nt t o induc e cramp and catal e psy ; s o also t h e

s lamming of a door o r an outcry or an abrupt calling
, ,

o f h e r own nam e " S inc e t h e influ e nc e was t h e sam e

as w h e n S h e h andl e d Copp e r k e ttl e s o r brass mortars ,

o r a door lock -
or an iron pump handl e it is plain
,
-
,

that t h e fright e ffe ct e d h e r i n t h e sam e mann e r as

an o d positi v e r e action in a s o r e t ic dir e ction I was
-
.

ofte n witn e ss of Similar occurr e nc e s in Miss S t ur m an n ;

a boy bawl e d o u t in an adjoining room and s h e was ,

b e s e t by clonic cramps and catal e psy In h e r dw e ll .

ing in F e rdin and str e e t in V i e nn a t h e st e am whistl e

, , ,
-

o f t h e distant locomotiv e s o n t h e S outh e rn R ailway ,

m ay be h e ard ; b u t I h ad h ardly notic e d t h e sound

b e for e t h e s e nsitiv e girl was in a clonic cramp and

unconscious with catal e psy Miss R e ic h e l ofte n stum
.

bl e s and e v e ry fall cause s a fright r e sulting in som

, ,

n am b u lis m and cram p .

 I NF L U E NC E S OF T HE F E E LI NGS A FF E C TI ONS , so . 165

1 24 . tBy —Mrs Ce cilia Bau e r has all h er

o u cr ies . .

life b e e n a ffl icte d with stomach ach e cau s e d by innu -

m e r able littl e frights I s aw such a cas e in my o w n

.

house Miss e s At zm an n s d o r fe r and Am e lia K ru e g e r

.

w e r e in two d ifl e r en t rooms wh e n t h e form e r had an ,

attack o f cramp fo r som e unknown caus e an d s h e

, ,

utt e r e d a cry Miss Kru eg e r h e ard it and S he was

.
,

ov e rcom e by cramps and somnambulism Miss At z .

m an n s d o r fer was for a tim e s o s e nsitiv e t o frights that

e v e ry loud nois e t h e moving o f a chair t h e cl o sing o f

, ,

a door would induc e cramps o f h e r arms and l e gs

,
.

T he first tim e that Miss v o n W e ig e lsb e rg w as afflict e d

with cramps o f t h e tongu e t h e att ck was cause d by ,
a

t h e sudd e n vi e w o f an un e xp e ct e d co n flag r at io n ; afte r

that any littl e fright brought it o n Mr Lippich t h e .
,

r egular profe ssor [ or din ar i us ] in t h e clo n ical d e part

m e nt o f t h e U n iv e rsity o f V i e nna was t h e physician ,

o f Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r and was int e r e st e d in h e r

,

s u ffe rings S h e had a gr e at r e spe ct an d liking fo r

.

him Whil e s h e was s taying in my h o us e Lippich

.
,

di e d un e xp e ct e dly T h e n e ws o f h is d e ath ; though I

.

brok e it t o h er gradually struck h e r s o v iol e ntly that

,

Sh e fe ll into cramp s and s o mnambul ism T h e s trang e .

n e s s o f my dark chamb e r r e nd e r e d Mis s W int e r u n

e asy and thr e w h e r into cramp Miss Martha Le o .

pold e r was a fflict e d with m e grim aft e r e ve ry fright .

Mrs K ie n e s be r ger un d e r s imilar circumstanc e s suf

.
, ,

fe rs imm e diat e attacks o f s ev e r e h e ad ach e cramps -

,

and oth e r n e rvous a fflictions E v e ry fright a ffe cting .

,

Mr G ustav An s ch u e t z is fe lt by him in h e ad and th e n

.
,

in his stomach A fright always giv e s a s e v e r e h e ad

.

ache t o M r s Eberm an n ; E mbassador S t e ig e r and Mr

.
.

Custo s Kollar su ffe r stomach ach e aft e r e v e ry fright -

.
166 SO MN AMB U LI S M AN D CR A M P .

Bar o n es s P aulin e v o n N atorp kn e w nothin g o f h er

s e ns itiv e co n di tion until s h e w as sh o ck e d by r e pe a t e d
s e v e r e frights F rom that tim e forward s he b ec am e
.

a sl e e p walke r and suffe r e d wi th cramps and did not

-
,

r e cov e r until afte r t h e laps e o f y e ars Miss Zin k e l fe e ls .

e v e ry fright first in t h e pit o f t he stomach o n t h e l e ft ,

Sid e that is o n t h e l e ft lob e o f t he solar pl e xus T his

, ,
.

affe ction o n t h e l e ft is significant b ecaus e it indicate s ,

that t h e fright r eacts in an o d positiv e dir e ction wh e r e

-
,

it attacks Th e nce t h e cramping mov e m e nts s pr e ad

.

upwards to t h e br e as t and towards t he h e ad the nce ,

t o t h e arm s and fee t and finally to t he to e s and fin ge r

,

points which last ar e a ffl icte d with a p e culiar pain

, .

At an o th e r time a b e ll w as rung v e ry n e ar t o Miss

’
Zink el s e ar an d as this w as don e rath e r viol e ntly it
,

was s uffi ci e nt to give he r such a fright that s h e w as

s oon b e s e t with stomach cramps and th e n with br e as t

cramps S om e y e ars late r whe n h e r s en s itiv e n e ss had

.
,

incre as e d t o somn ambulism h e r impr e ssibility for ,

frigh t was s o gr e at that s h e fe ll into clo nic cramps

wh e n t h e iron o f h e r stov e snapp e d at cooli n g ; yes i t ,

s o m e tim e s happ e n e d th at wh e n s h e was sitting n e ar

m e Sh e was startl e d by an un e xp e ct e d mov e m e nt o f

,

my hand by an accid e ntal ton e o f a word in conv e rsa

,

tion and soon s h e w as t h e victim o f g e n e ral cramps

, ,

which usually te rminate d in s omnambulism .

§ 1 25 0 di c p ercep.ti o n w eak e n ed b f
y g
ri h i a
—A quick
awak e ning o u t o f c o mm on sl ee p may be r e ckon e d

a mon g t he fee lings o f frig h t if only in t he grad e ,

o f
s urpris e In Mrs K ie n e s ber g e r th i s was suffici e nt
. . to
bring cramps upon h e r T o wak e he r quickly was . to
awak e n h e i su ffe rings als o I h av e alre ady stat e d
. in
168 S OMMNABU LIS M A ND CR AMP .

laugh g e ts cramps in t h e stomach Onc e whil e laugh

, .
,

ing v i o l e ntly I s aw h e r attack e d by cramps in t h e

,
.

calv e s o f t h e l e gs At anoth e r tim e I saw a liv e ly

.
,

h e althy laugh p ass ov e r into a frightful laughing cramp ,

wh e r e in though s u ffe ring s ev e r e pain s h e had to laug h

, ,

on automatically until I succ e e d e d by downward

, ,

p ass e s in subduing it It is w e ll known that laugh

, .

cramp s ar e fr e qu e nt among s e n s itiv e s An ins tructiv e .

cas e happ e n e d with Miss At zm an n s d o r fer S h e lay .

a be d in somnamb ul ism and was li v e ly and talkativ e

-

as usual S h e t o ld m e many amusing incid e nts in h er

.

life and mad e many g e sticulations and laugh e d h e ar

,

t ily . In t h e midst o f this liv e ly s c e n e I s aw h er

b e com e s e riou s t h e word di e d o n h e r lip s h e lay d o wn
, ,

o n h e r sid e and in r e ply to my qu e stion s h e answ e r e d

only that s h e fe ar e d a cramp in h er throat Aft e r th e .

lap s e o f t h r e e minute s cramps had brok e n o u t in h er ,

arms fee t , back body and n e ck

, ,
I mad e d o wn ward .

pass e s ov e r but a p ainful quart e r o f an hour pass e d

,

away b e for e I b e cam e maste r o f t h e cramp s A d ee p .

s omnambulic s l e e p th e n foll o w e d and last e d s e v e r al

hours T he only caus e o f this attack w as h e r laugh

.

ing and e xcit e m e nt in somnambulism S h e kn e w w e ll .

from e xp e ri e nc e what t h e r e s ul t w o uld be At an o th e r .

t im e I s hall r e turn to thi s b e autifully r egular d e v e lop

m e n t which is s e ld o m s ee n in its e ntir e co ur s e
,
.

1 28 . By j o y — S e nsitiv e p e rs o ns
. not e v e n p er ar e

m it t e d to e njoy undistur be d a pl e asant surpri s e

,
Miss
,
.

Z in k el r e c e iv e d a l e tt e r informin g h e r un exp e ct e dly ,

o f a v e ry agr e e abl e pi e c e o f n e w s Imm e diat e ly aft e r .

ward s h e was attack e d by a s e v e r e stomach ac h e such

,
-
,

as s h e h ad oft e n h ad o n pr e vious occasions wh e n s h e

 I NF L U E NC E S or THE F E E LI NGS A FF E C TI ONS
, , so . 1 69

h ad r e c ei v e d good n ew s An o th e r tim e s h e was pr e

.

s e nt o n Ch ristm as e v e wh en a numb e r o f pr e s e nts

,

w er e mad e to s om e c h ildr e n S h e took s uch a liv e ly

.

int e r e st in t h e j oy o f t h e littl e on e s that s h e s oon ,

aft e rward fe ll into cramp and somnambulism Onc e .

upon a tim e s h e h e ard som e n e w s which gav e h er gr e at

j oy and s h e was th e n imm e diate ly attack e d by cramp
, ,

which did not attack h e r simultan e ously in all h e r

limb s as cramps usually do but only in t h e l e ft leg
, , ,

from t he hipj oint t o t h e to e s which last w e r e distort e d

,
.

This points to t h e o d p o sitiv e s o r e t ic influ e nc e o f m e n

-
,

tal e xcite m e nts upon t h e o rganic functions and is a ,

d e licat e hint in c o nfirmation o f t h e vi e w s h er e tofor e

e xpr e ss e d Miss e s R e ich e l At zm an n s d o r fer M aix
.
, , ,

S t ur m an n and o th e rs also told m e o f cas e s wh e r e i n

joyous e motions brought o n cramps .

1 29 . By s urpris e — Wh e n I
i it e d Miss Zin kel
. v s ,

o n h e r sick be d in h e r most s usc e ptibl e p e riod it oft e n

, ,

h app e n e d that h er whol e body was attack e d by

cr amps It oft e n happ e n e d that wh e n s h e had pass e d
.
,

t h e whol e night without cramps and I cam e to h e r ,

be d in t h e morni n g and gr ee t e d h e r s h e forthwith

, ,

was b e s e t by cramps in h e r br e ast and n e ck wi th ,

o pisthotonus which chang e d to s omnambulism

, T he .

o nly caus e o f th e s e attacks w as t h e liv e ly and n o t un

pl e asant e motion call e d forth by my e ntranc e into t h e

room Miss Bey e r was afflicte d in t h e sam e mann e r
'

wh e n s he was in he r most s e nsitiv e p e riods W h il e .

Sh e w as going through t h e s tr e e ts s h e would o ft e n fall ,

down sudd e nly as if s h e w e r e e pile pe t ic which s h e was ,

not . T h e m e r e surpris e giv e n h e r by t h e un e xp e ct e d

sight of a fri e nd o r by t h e rapid approach o f som e
,

8
1 70 SO M N AMB UL I S M AND CR AM P .

o ne to ward h er s ufiice d t o fil l h e r body wi th cr am ps

, .

S h e visit e d m e first in t h e country and found th e r e a ,

larg e bl ack d o g n o t far from my dw ellin g T h e sight .

o f hi m thr e w h e r in to cramps in which s h e fe ll down , ,

and th e n b e cam e s omn amb ul e Bu t t h e dog w as only .

o f c as t iron .

13 0 . By m entalt n t — Mrs Kien es berg e r

exci e m e .

lov e s t he th e atr e particularly tr ag e dy Bu t wh e n s he

,
.

v e n tur e s to giv e h e rs e lf up to thi s e njoym e nt s h e h as ,

to aton e fo r i t bitt e rly Wh e n s h e g e ts hom e afte r

.

t he play s h e h as cramp a t tacks s e v e r e and las t ing in

,
-

proportion t o th e liv e lin e ss o f t h e e motions exci t e d by

t h e p e rform anc e Miss Zin k el had fe ar s for t h e safe ty
.

o f an abs e nt lady On e day wh e n s h e was in a v e ry

.

s usc e ptibl e condition s h e w as Sp e aking t o m e o f this

,

p e rson Whil e s p e aking with e motion s h e fe ll into

.
,

s omnambul ism I suppos e d thi s to be accid e ntal p aid

.
,

n o att e ntion and staid with h e r till Sh e wak e d up

,
.

T h e conv e r s ation again turn e d upon t h e sam e p erson

and s h e again b e cam e somn amb ul ic Wh e n s h e soon .

again r e cov e r e d t o waking consciousn e s s I l e d t h e ,

conv e rsation a third tim e upon that p e rson an d som

, , ,

n am b ulis m mast e r e d h e r again T h e condi tion of t h i s .

sl ee p was such that sym ptoms thr e at e ning cramps w e r e

s e e n at e v e ry mom e nt ;

13 1 . n s o f m em o ry — That simpl e pictur e s

By em o t io .

o f fancy r e coll e ctions impr e ssions o f pl e asur e an d dis

, ,

pl e asur e in h e althy somnambulism as w e ll as in t he

,

ordinary consciousn e ss sh oul d so a ffe ct t h e s ensitiv e s

, ,

s usc e pti bility as to produc e cramps an d similar co n

di t i o ns would scarc e ly be cr e di bl e if th e r e w e r e not ,

172 S OM N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

cramp lik e s e nsations in all h e r limbs S uch cas es

-
. ar e

not rar e with h e r th e y occur fr e qu e ntly .

13 3 . Sum m ary.—
All th e s e influ e nc e s produc e d by
t h e in te ll e ctual mov e m e nts o f lov e gri e f v e xation , , ,

ang e r fright j e alousy laughing joy surpris e e motion

, , , , , , ,

and t h e imagination agre e to a wond e r ful e xte nt in

,

ca us ing in lo w d e mi and high s ensitiv e s t h e sam e e f

, ,

fe e t s which ar e produc e d by s o r e t ic o dic tr e atm e nt -

,

pass e s to wards t h e h e ad lyi ng wi t h t h e h e ad towards ,

t h e w es t and south grasping o f o d positiv e s ub ,

-

stanc e s wi th t h e l e ft hand s uch e ffe cts nam e ly as ,

h e ad ach e s s to mach ach e s swoons cramps and t h e

-
,
-
, ,

ph e nom e na o f thi s cla ss and th e se e ffe cts ar e pr o

d u ce d in t h e s am e man n e r as by t h e g e n e rat o r s o f
positiv e 0 d -
.

And thus w e arriv e at t h e following c o nclusi o n s in

r e gard to t h e in flu ence s o f t h e s e nsuo us impr e ssions ,

m e ntal e xcite m e nt and t h e fee li ngs a ffections an d d e

, ,

sir e s h e r e tofor e tr e ate d o f

All thes e p s ychi cal m ovem e n t s w hich acco r d i n g to , ,

p h y s i ol o g ical v ie w s ar e s upp o s ed t o
, p r ocee d o u t w ar ds

h r v ou s ce n t r e w he n v ie w ed o n t he o d i c s ide
f r om t e ne , ,

o ccu r and exp res s t he m s elves i n t he co n cep t i ons and

ac t ion s of t he s ens i ti ves i n t he s am e m an n er as w he n s o

r e tie and o d
p o s it i v
-
fl
e i n uences ar e br o u ht t o bear o n
g
t he br ain Irj e rr in g that like ej ec ts u nd er like ci r cum
.
f

s t ances m us t hav e had like caus es w e hav e ev er r eas o n

y ,

t o as s u m e t hat all t hes e i n t ellext u al m o v em en ts w er e ao

co m p an ied by an ac cum u lati o n of p o s iti ve e d in t he
br ai n p r obably s o f ar as m atter co uld p ar t icip at e i n
t he m , wer e co m p o s ed i m m e d iately of i t A dev elop m en t .

f
o p o s i t ive cd i n t he br ain then acco m p an ies an d is
 I NF L UENC ES or T HE FEEL I N G S A FFEC TI ONS
, ,
ac . 173

caus ed by all t hes e m e n tal

.

we have
in t he p hys ical w or ld
w ar d no w als o as a
174 SO MNAM B U LI S M A ND CR AMP .

CH AP T E R XI .

ME NTAL EXA L TATI ON IN SO MN AMB U LIS M .

1 3 4 0 dic p ercept io n acut e as

. n i t i ven ess is high
se s .

—I hav e shown and prov e d by a thousand facts that

s e nsitiv e s ar e provid e d in t h e ir s e nsual organs with
facul ti e s e nti r e l y wantin in n o n s e nsitiv e s T h e y s ee
g
-
.
,

fee l h e ar tast e sm e ll p e rc e iv e t h rough muscular and

, , , ,

vital s e ns e s and in t h is way r e c e iv e s e nsuou s impr e s

,

sions e ntir e ly d e ni e d to oth e rs as ligh t and color ar e

,

d e ni e d to t h e blind I hav e furth e r shown that t h e s e

.

p e rc e ptiv e faculti e s be com e mor e acut e as t h e s en

’
s i t iv e n e s s ris e s and t h at t h e high e r a man s s e nsitiv e
,

susc e ptibility t h e mor e num e rous and plain hi s pe r

,

ce pt io n o f odic p h e nom e na so that a lo w s ensitiv e may

,

be compar e d to a s h ort si g ht e d p e rson and a hig h

-
,

s e nsitiv e to a long sigh t e d o n e ; w h e r e t h e o n e s e e s

-

only a gray mist o r a light smok e t h e o th e r distin ,

u is h e s a cl e ar li g h t an odic flam e an d t h e colors o f

g ,

t h e rain bow . S h ould n o t th is p e rc e ptiv e pow e r also

incr e as e with t h e e xaltation o f s e nsitiv e n e ss ? S hould
not t h e condition o f somnam bulism and cramps d e v e lop
still hig h e r pow e rs of p e rc e ption ? Aft e r w h at w e
know alr e ady this woul d no long e r be wond e rful but ,
1 76 SO M NA M BUL I S M A ND CR AM P .

from th e m for e v e r Th e n s h e add e d that t h e h e adach e

.
,

with which s h e had b ee n n uin t err u pt e d ly afflict e d fo r

e ight full y e ars would continu e b e y o nd that day but
, ,

wo uld en d o n t h e 8 t h o f May and th e n s h e wo uld first ,

hav e t h e pl e asur e o f fe e ling h e rs e lf fr ee fr o m pain In .

fact I s o on s aw in t h e daily d e cr e as e o f t h e d u ration

, ,

o f t h e attacks t h e fulfilm e nt o f t h e pr e diction

, for ,

e v e ry day th ey b e cam e short e r I had k ept t h e 27 t h .

o f April in my mind and o n that e v e ning I was at h e r

,

hous e e arly T h e attack comm e nc e d and I lo o k e d a t

.

t h e minut e hand o f my watch Wh e n four minut e s had .

pas s e d t h e catal e psy and cramps e nd e d and s h e w ak e d

up I w e nt t h e n ext and t h e following days but t h e
.
,

attacks did n o t com e N e v e rth e l e ss t h e h e adach e r e

.

main e d I continu e d t o visit h e r daily With d e ep e m o

. .

tion I l e arn e d o n t h e 8 t h o f May that t h e h e adach e

had n o t v isit e d h e r during t h e day and t h e j o y ov e r
it e nliv e n e d and r e nd e r e d happy t h e whol e hous e It .

might be s aid t h at Miss N o wo tny had probably play e d

a littl e comedy and dup e d m e Bu t no o n e kn o wing .

t h e circum stanc e s would hav e said that th o ugh I

s hould s till admit t h e validity o f such an obj e ction if

thi s fact stood alon e Bu t it is corroborat e d and co n

.

firm e d by hundr e d s and thousands o f Similar cas e s

which I hav e obs e rv e d and I hav e mad e sp e cial ,

m e ntion o f this singl e o n e o nly b e caus e o f its w e ll

boun d e d cl e arn e ss In this cas e w e hav e a striking
.

proof that s omnambulists und e r conditions unknown ,

to us poss e ss t h e facul ty e ntir ely wanting in non s e n

, ,
-

s i t iv e s o f for e knowing e v e nts many w e e ks b e for e th e ir

,

occurr e nc e and with a pr ec ision e xact e v e n t o a mi

,

n ut e That w as o n e cas e
. .
 ME N TAL EX ALTATI ON I N SO M N AM BUL I S M
'

. 177

13 6 . F als en am bulic predict ion — And n o w

som
for t he o th e r Miss Kynast had s u ffe r e d for y e ars with
.

s omnambulic attacks an d lik e Miss N owotny in th e s e

, , _

s lumb e r s s h e t o ld always corr e ctly wh e n s h e would

, ,

hav e h e r n ext attack and how long it would last .

T h es e pr e dicti o n s w e r e fulfill e d s o accurat e ly that th e y

cam e to hav e a common charact e r and e v e ryb o dy in ,

h er v icinity was satisfi e d that such a pr e dicti o n was

almost e quiv al e nt to a c e rtainty Wh e n somnambulic .
,

s h e also po s s e ss e d in a high d e gr e e t h e faculty o f for e

t e lling t he ph e no m e n a o f h er di s e as e On e day s h e
l
.

cam e t o v isit m e and as I was o ccu pie d at t h e tim e

,

Sh e s topp e d among my s e r v ants and th e r e w e nt into

,

t h e s omnambulic s lee p T h e cook n o w g o t hold o f h er

.
,

and pu t all s ort s o f qu e stion s t o h e r Among oth e r .

thing s Sh e ask e d about a trip which s h e ( t h e cook )

inte nde d t o mak e t o P rague wh e th e r it would be a
,

fortu nate o n e and unint e rrupt e d by accid e nts T h e .

s l ee p e r s aid that all wo ul d g o w e ll sav e that an acci ,

d e nt w o uld happ e n at t h e bridg e o f P ragu e but s h e ,

w o uld e scap e uninjur e d S h e th e n ask e d furth e r about

.

t h e fat e o f t h e child o f o n e o f t h e sup e rint e nd e nts o f

my e s tat e which child w as v e ry ill— wh e th e r it
-

w o uld r e c o v e r o r d ie o f that illn e ss and wh e th e r s h e ,

co ul d n o t te ll som e thing that would cu r e it T h e s o m .

n am bu lis t r e pli e d that s h e saw t h e child ( t h e s upe r in

t e n d e n t s dw e lling was about 8 0 0 yards from Castl e

’

R e is e nb e rg and s eparat e d from it by a park ) i t w as

,

dang e rously ill but it would r e cov e r ; and t h e n s h e

,

pr e scrib e d h o w it sh o uld be tr e at ed It so happ en e d .

that t h e cook had n o t t h e r e mot e st id e a o f going to

’
P ragu e and so far from t h e sup e rint e nd e nt s child
,

b e in g ill he did n o t e v e n hav e a child and th e r e w as

.

3
8
1 78 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND C R AMP .

not a child about t h e plac e T h e somn ambulist had

.

thus b e e n e ntrapp e d by t h e id e as which t h e qu e stion e r

sugg e ste d ; s h e h ad blindly b e li e v e d and had mad e
proph e ci e s w h ich w e r e not only untru e but fo r which ,

th e r e w as no foundation S h e had m e r e ly dr e am e d
.
,

and spok e n h e r nons e ns e out as many p e rsons d o e v e ry

night .

In both th e s e cas e s t o which I shall h e r e afte r add

,

so m e oth e rs w e hav e as to n is hing and exact f o r e—

,
kn o w l
ed ge Sid e by sid e wit h abs u r d bas ele s s gues s e both in
s

somn ambulic sl e e p ; t he tru e pr e dictions be ing mad e

by t h e somnambulist about h e rse lf ; t h e fals e on e s
about oth e r p e opl e .

S omnamb ulic sl e e p is not th e r e for e in its v e ry na

tur e a condition wh e r e in t h e human mind is abl e to
,

fore know t h e futur e ; and all ass e rtions t o th is e ffe ct

and e xte nt ar e e vi d e ntly fals e N e v e rth e l e ss t h e r e
,
.

ar e sp e cial conditions of somnambulism w h e r e in t h e

human mind can poss e ss a for e knowl e dg e wanting to

p e rsons not somnam bulic E xp e ri e nc e has not ye t l e arn
.

e d to distinguish this latt e r class o f conditions and ,

b e twee n th is and t h e ot h e r class li e s t h e dividing lin e

o f t h e compr e h e nsibl e and t h e incompr e h e nsibl e .

13 7 . 0 d ge n erat ed by m us cu ar lus fo rm — Le t
n o w consid e r som e c as e s wh e r e t h e m e ntal e xaltation

o f s e nsitiv e p e rsons go e s still furth e r and e xt e nds

b eyond t h e limits of o ur glob e .

Mr D ubois R eymond has prov e d by som e b e autiful

.

e xp e rim e nts t h at e l e ctricity is g e n e rat e d wh e n our

muscular forc e is e x e rte d and wh e n e v e r I hav e found

that Cd is g e n e rat e d at t h e sam e tim e If I plac e d t h e .

e n d o f a porc e l ain wan d in Mi s s Be y e r s l e ft hand and

’
1 80 SO MN AMB U LI S M AND CR AMP .

With Mi s s Bey e r t h e s am e tr e atm e nt pr o duc e d t h e

s am e e ffe ct Wh e n I Sudd e nl y straine d t o t h e utm o st
.

t h e muscl e s o f my arms hands and fing e rs pointe d

,

towards h er s h e imm e diate ly fe lt t h e c o ol odi c e man a

,

ti o ns o f my right hand dir e cte d at h er l e ft s ide b ecom e

s trong e r and cool e r than b e for e Though fi v e st e ps .

di s tant from m e s h e fe lt an almost irr e sistibl e d e sir e

t o strain h er m us cl e s also and to g ras p or pr e ss s om e
,

thing tightly in short s h e fe lt a transfe r o f what w as

,

p as sing in my mind and body to h er o w n It was t h e .

s am e with Miss Z in k e l F irst I made a slight down

.

ward pas s wi th my right hand at a distanc e o f four

st eps for t h e p u rpos e o f put t in g e v e rything at r e st
,
.

Th e n I str e tch e d t h e sam e hand o u t towards h e r w ith

a te nsion o f all my m us cl es Sh e fe lt a c o ld s e nsation
.

ac compani e d by an irritati o n imp elli ng h e r t o exe rt

h er s t r e ngth S h e fe lt as though s h e w o ul d l ik e t o
.

hav e a stick o f wood a n d b e at m e with it I th en .

pointe d my l e ft hand at h e r with t h e muscl e s all in

t e nsion S h e said t h e s e nsation was much mor e dis
.

agr ee abl e and irritating than from t h e oth e r hand .

F inally I pointe d both arms at h e r at onc e ; thi s ir

r it at e d h e r so much that s h e fe lt a s trong d e s ir e t o

as sault m e but at t h e s am e ti m e s h e had pain in t he

,

s tom ach .

13 8 . Experim ent with a m irro r . -

I co un t e r te s t ed
this e xp e ri m e nt by anoth e r wi t h a looking glass It .

was a large dr e ssing mirror and stood o n roll e rs I ,

.

mov e d it into t h e doorway b e tw ee n two rooms so that , ,

wh e n Mr Kl e in and mys e lf we r e o n e in
. room
and invisibl e to e ac h oth e r in a dir e ct lin e on account ,

o f t h e wall w e could ye t s ee e ach oth e r i n t h e g las s

, ,
 M EN TAL EXA L TATI ON I N SO M N AM BUL I S M . 181

at an angl e o f s e v e nty d e gr e e s E ach stood four ste ps

.

distant from t h e glass W h e n I rais e d may arm t o

.

ward s t h e imag e o f Mr Kl e in in t h e glass be im

.
,

m e diate ly fe lt t h e influ e nc e o f t h e odic e manations ,

which ar e r e fl e ct e d from a mirr o r lik e light Wh e n I .

s train e d my muscl e s t h e s e nsations cr e at e d by my arm

,

b e cam e strong e r t h e prickling was sharp e r and h e

, ,

b e cam e so warm that t h e sw e at drop s coll e ct e d o n h i s

-

for e h e ad though t h e t e mp e ratur e of t h e room was but

,

51 F ahr e nh e it He did not how e v e r fee l any d e sir e

°
.
, ,

t o s train his o w n muscl e s I r e p e at e d t he sam e e x

.

p e r im en t with Miss Z in k el ; Sh e fe lt t h e incr e as e d odic

influe nc e o f my muscul ar e x e rtion r e fl e ct e d from t h e ,

glass but s h e fe lt no psychical impul s e to imitate it

, .

In th e s e e xp e rim e nts w e can distinguish t w o in flu

e n ce s : o n e imm diat ly physical
e e — nam e ly t h e o dic ,

e manatio n from my hands towards t h e s e nsitiv e and ,

this is also fe lt un d e r t h e laws of odic r e fl e ction ; t h e

o th e r psyc hi cal wh e r e a distinct m e ntal O p e ration t h e
, ,

v oluntary e x e rtion o f musc ular pow e r fl o w s ow e r into ,

anoth e r p e rson a s e nsitiv e an d e xcit e s in him a similar

, ,

m e ntal op e ration t h e will t o e x e rt t h e muscl e s and

, ,

e v e n giv e s him a disposition t o assault m e T h e act .

o f my will ,
dir e ct e d upon a t e nsion o f t h e muscl e s ,

pass e s ov e r into anoth e r p e rson four ste ps distant an d

, ,

e xcit e s a similar act o f t h e will in him his act b e ing ,

call e d forth by no motiv e s av e my volition T he .

physical and psychical influ e nc e ar e s e parat e d by t he

u s e o f t h e mirror ; t h e phy s ical t h e odic e manation , ,

t h e radiation is r e fl e ct e d according t o its laws ; bu t

,

t h e spiritual principl e is n o t r e fl e ct e d and th e r e for e i s ,

o f anoth e r natur e H e r e w e find a sharp lin e s e par at

. a

ing t h e compr eh ens ibl e from t h e incompr e h e nsibl e .

 1 82 SO M NAM BUL I S M A ND CR A M P .

I look upon t h e pr e c e ding facts as introductory t o

t h e following high e r ph e nom e na o f t h e psychical
cla s s :

13 9 . D r . Blas s
ntro l o ver Mi s s Beyer Wh e n I
’
co .
-

first saw Miss Anna Bey e r in January 1 8 48 in t h e , , ,

hous e o f D r Blass in V i e nna Sh e was somn ambulic

.
, , .

P rofe ssor Rag s ky was t h e only oth e r p e rson pr e s e nt .

Wh e n t h e physician spok e to h er Sh e r e pli e d to hi m ,

but wh e n I o r D r Rag s ky spok e to h er s h e did no t

.
,

answ e r and appar e ntly did n o t h e ar e v e n wh e n I spok e

, ,

in t h e palm o f h e r hand In t h is condition o f s o styl e d

.
-

“ ”
conn ection with h er physician s h e was by no m e ans ,

i n s ensibl e t o odic r e actions upward pass e s lik e pain, ,

i ng s e t c with which I tri e d h e r

.
,
I may incid e ntally .

r e mark t h at sinc e s h e is a v e ry obliging and a ffabl e

,

g irl in h e r normal s tat e any suspicion that Sh e know,

i n gly and purpos e ly gav e m e no answ e r would be o u t ,

o f plac e T h e important point in t h is matte r w as t h e

.

stat e m e nt o f D r Blass that t h e girl in h e r Sl ee p

.
, ,

ob ey e d his will in all things and e v e n wh e n h e ex ,

e r cis e d his volition in sil e nc e To sh ow t h e corr e ct .

n e ss o f this ass e rtion h e r e qu e ste d us to put his pow e r

,

ov e r h e r to t h e t e st W e spok e alt ernat e ly F r e nch

.

and L atin s o that s h e should not by any possibility

, , ,

un d e rstand for Sh e w as t h e daught e r of a poor potte r

from Boh e mia and s h e h ad n e v e r e nt e r e d a h ous e
,

wh e r e any t o n g ue sav e G e rman o r Bo h e mian was s po

ke n and th e r e for e th e r e was no gro und to suppos e that
S h e und e rsto od e ith e r o f t h e languag e s us e d by us I .

propos e d t h at h e s h o u ld sil e ntly ord e r h e r to d e mand

a glass o f wat e r and drink it D r Rag s ky and mys e lf . .

plac e d ours elv e s o n opposit e s id e s o f t h e physician

1 84 SO MN AM BU LI S M AND CR AM P .

Sh o ul d put a pe n in h e r hand and s h e Sh o ul d giv e i t

back t o h im S h e carri e d o u t this sil e nt task exactly
.
,

and I notic e d an unm i stak eabl e i nward mov e m ent in

h e r nam e ly that all this w as d o n e wi th t h e Co o pe r a
, ,

t ion o f a c e rtain s o r e ti c o d po sitiv e influ e nc e

, I th e n
-
.

wish e d h er t o tak e t h e pe n from him again and s h e ,

to ok it ; and in thi s moti o n t o o I p e rc e iv e d t h e e ffe cts

,

o f Od positiv e influ e nc e s ; t h e will o f t h e physician

-

w o rk e d po s itiv e s o r e t ically upon h e r and I obs e rv e d

-
,

s om e o f t h e pr e monito ry symp t o ms o f cramp .

I wish e d n o w t o know wh e th e r th e s e influ e nc e s

could be e x e rcis e d at a distanc e D r Blas s plac e d . .

hi m s e lf in t h e O pposi t e corn e r o f t h e room and at my ,

r e qu e st will e d th at s he should c o m e t o him At firs t .

s h e b e cam e un e asy in h e r chair th e n s till asl ee p and , ,

with clos e d e y e s s h e g o t up as if with di fficulty and

,

wi th t h e unst eady moti on o f a p e rs o n half asl ee p fe ll ,

back upo n h e r chair s e v e r al tim e s and at last mov e d ,

s lowly across t h e r o om e v id e ntly with much e x e rti o n

, ,

t o h e r physician He laid h e r down upon a sofa and

.

w e nt into anothe r room at my r e qu e st I wi sh e d t o

,
.

t ry wh e th e r t h e influ e nc e would pass th rough t h e wall ,

and at t h e s am e tim e subj ect t h e physician t o an in

, ,

dubitab l e te st Wh e n h e was o n t he o the r sid e o f t h e

.

wall I sugg e ste d that h e s houl d wak e h e r from h e r

,

s l ee p I soon saw t h e cons e qu e nc e s o f o d positi v e so

.
-

r e t ic influ e nc e Sh e turne d o v e r mov e d h er limbs n u

.
,

e asily rais e d h e rs e lf o n t h e sofa s at up sigh e d rub

, , , ,

be d h e r e y e s awok e op e n e d h e r e y e s e v id e ntly j ust

, , ,

awaking from a d e e p sl e e p A w e e k lat e r Miss Be y e r .

was in my hous e and D r Blass was with us I r e

,
. .

que ste d hi m t o wak e h e r from somnambulic sl e e p by a

m e r e sil e nt un expr e ss e d act o f h is v olition and s h e
, ,
 M E NTA L EXA L TATI ON I N SO M N AM BUL I S M . 1 85

so on awoke I r e p e ate d t h e e xp e rim e nt again o f h av

.

ing him will that Sh e s hould want a glass o f wat e r

an d drink it ; and again Sh e s how e d t h e signs o f thi rst ,

a s k e d for wat e r an d drank it wh e n giv e n t o h e r .

1 41 . T he autho r gets co ntro l of Miss Beyer .— Ih

t he m e antim e I cam e mor e and m o r e in contact with
Miss Be y e r I am an o ld and gray h e ad e d man D r
. .

Blass is young and vigorous o f ab o ut half my n umb e r

,

o f y e ar s T h e app e aranc e and d e portm e nt o f Mi s s

.

Bey e r show e d that s h e was a g o o d and v irtu o u s girl .

D uring o ur ex pe r M en t s I p e rc eiv e d that s h e gradually

b e cam e fri e ndly to m e and t h e strong spiritual bond
uniting h er t o h er ph ysician was w e ak e n e d She s aid .

my m e th o d o f making pass e s ov e r h er w as c o o l er and

mor e b e n eficial Sh e n o w b e gan to h e ar m e and t o
.

an s w e r m e I ofte n s ent for h er and busi e d mys e lf

.

with h er fo r a half a day o r a whol e day at a tim e .

F inally s he b e cam e irritat e d at h er physician o n ao

count o f r e laps e s which s h e had attribut e d to him ,

th o ugh without r e ason as I think but t h e r e sult w as

,

h er inclination fo r m e was s tr e ngth e n e d at t h e cost o f

him who had pr e viously b ee n h e r physician I n o w .

tri e d wh e th e r I c o uld n o t succ e e d t o o in aw ak e ning

h er by t h e m e r e e x e rtion o f my will T h e first att empts
.

all fail e d Wh e n I ask e d h e r wh e th e r I should n o t

.

awak e n h e r and s h e s aid ye s I r e qu e ste d h e r t o wak e

, , ,

and s h e imm e diat e ly did so I mad e t h e sam e e x pe r i

.

m e nt with t h e sam e r e sul t o n Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r I .

w e nt int o h er room and found h e r in somnambulic sl e e p .

‘
T h e s un s h on e b e autifully and I wish e d to mak e som e
e xp e rim e nts with sunshin e I told h e r my d e sir e and
.

r e qu e st e d h er t o w ak e up and aris e S oon aft e r I s aid

.
1 86 SO MN AMB UL I SM A ND CR AMP .

this I per ceiv e d som e cramp lik e mo tions and at t h e

-
,

e n d o f a minute s h e was awak e My word s had .

work e d s o r e t ically upon h er h e ad .

T h e possi bility of awak e ning Miss Bey e r from s o m

n am bulic sl ee p by simply o rd e ring h e r t o awak e hav
,
.

ing b ee n thus e stab lish e d I s aw in that fac t t h e tran

,

s i t io n to a high e r possibility o f awak e ning h e r by an

un expr es s e d e ffort o f my will as D r Blass had don e

,
. .

As I saw h e r attachm e nt for m e incr e as ing I again

tri e d t o influ e nc e h e r by sil ent volitio n Whe n s h e .

w as sitting somnamb u lic o n t h e sofa I sat down in

, ,

front o f h e r about a yard Off and wi ll e d that s h e

, ,

Sho uld awak e mys e lf r e main ing sil e nt and motio n l e ss

, .

I had scarc e ly b e gan t o e x e rt m y will b e for e s h e s aid

Only a littl e long e r : I am s l e eping s o w e ll S he .

had e v ide ntly fe lt t h e influe nc e o f my will and as it

was not h e r wish t o wak e up s h e s ought t o induc e m e
,

t o d e sist from comp elling h er t o awak e E nco u r ag e d .

by thi s I k e pt up my m e ntal e ffort and withi n a mi

, ,

nut e s h e stoo d up awak e Afte rwards s h e again w e nt

.

into t h e somnambulic Sl e e p I allow e d h e r t o Sl ee p

awh il e qui e tly and t h e n sat down thr e e s t e ps distant
from h er It was in t h e dark chamb e r pe rfe ctly dark
.
,

ened . Wh e n I sil e ntly will e d that s h e should awak e ,

s h e ros e wit h in a minu t e sigh e d rubb e d h e r ey e s as

, , ,

s h e had d o n e wh e n D r Blass e xp e rim e nt e d with h e r

.
,

and awok e S om e w e e ks late r s h e again w e nt t o sl ee p

.

in t h e obscurity o f t h e dark chamb e r ; and wh e n I

sil e ntly will e d t h at s h e s h ould awak e s h e did so and ,

as qui ckly as for h er p hysician pr e viously Three .

days lat e r I r e p e at e d t h e e xp e rim e nt and O btain e d ,

t h e sam e r e sul t F iv e days lat e r I awak e n e d he r

.

t h r ee tim e s in o n e day in t he sam e mann e r .

1 88 SO MN AM BULI S M A ND CR AMP .

h e as k e d h e r why s h e h ad com e to him and s h e with

a to ne o f wond e r and r e proach said Why you wish ed , ,

it yo u call e d m e you would hav e it so F rom this .

it is cl ear th at s h e r e cogniz e d his will with a compar a

t iv e ly cl e ar cons ci e ntiousn e ss and kn ow ingly in Obe
,

d ie n ce to that wi ll form e d h er own d e t e rmi nation s

,

and act e d ind e p e nd e ntly upon th e m T h e m e ntal pro .

c e ss was p e rc eptibly t h e sam e in Miss At zm an n s d o rfer

wh e n s h e awok e in accordanc e wi th my wish It w as .

n o t s h e that wish e d to mak e o dic e xp eM e n t s w ith

sunshi n e but s h e was willin g t o giv e h e rs e lf fo r t h e

,

e xp e rim e nts whi ch I wi sh e d t o mak e Th er e is th e r e .

for e no co n fusion o r chang e in t h e conc e ption o f per

s o n alit y .

This th e ory th e n can fur ni s h n o s oluti o n fo r t h e

, ,

probl e m but o n t h e contrary pr e s e nts o nl y a dark e r

,

probl e m than t h e fact its el f and would incr eas e t h e

,

obscurity rath e r than throw light upon it We m us t .

not confus e and dark e n t h e un explain e d probl e ms o f

n atur e by arbitrary and bas e l e ss suppositions but r a ,

th e r w e sho ul d h old o urs e lv e s to a str ict acc o unt o f

what w e compr eh e nd and o f what w e d o n o t .

1 43 . T he es ablis h ed
t y n —Le t
facts o f clairvo a ce s

u s n o w hold fast t o t h e e xact r e sult fr e sh from e xpe ,

r ie n ce as just state d and w e p e rce iv e th e r e in thr e e

,

points in r egard t o t h e powe r o f somn amb ulists und e r

c e rtain circumstanc e s
1 T hey can f or es ee t he co nd i ti on of t he ir o w n phys ical
.

healt h .

2 . Whe n o ther p e r s on s dir ect exer t i n s

o of p o w er at
t he m t he y can f ee l t he od ic i nfl u en ce an d can be fi
a ected

t he r eby p s ychically .
 ME NTAL EXALTATI ON I N SO MN AM BU LI S M . 1 89

3 . T he y can p e r cei ve v oli ti o ns of o ther p er s ons t ho u gh

F or t h e fir s t point th e r e is as ye t no trac e o f an , ,

e xplanation ; w e must acc e pt t h e fact in i t s simpl e

charact e r and r e cord it among t h e hundr e ds o f oth e rs

,

un e xp lain e d probl e ms in t h e w o rld .

T h e thi rd point is e qually in e xplicabl e t o us L ik e .

t h e first it is psychical in its natur e and psych o logy ,

far from explaining its caus e s e l e m ents and conn e c ,

ti o n has not ye t und e rtak e n t o inv e stigat e it S o far

,
.

’
as w e s ee t h e non s e n s itiv e s act o f volition is co m m u
,
-

n icat e d t o t h e s omnambulist But w e kn ow of no o th e r

.

m e an s o f comm unicatin g a vo lition s av e by symbols ,

s uch as t h e conv e n ti o nal on e s o f s ounds g e stu r e s and ,

writing Bu t non e o f th e s e m e ans ar e h er e us e d n o t

.

o nly air and darkn e ss but walls may s e parat e t h e p e r

,

s o n s b e tw e e n whom t h e communication is pa s sing and ,

y e t t h e p u rpos e in o n e brain i s tr ansfe rr e d t o t h e

o th e r . T h e whol e sci e nc e o f psychol o gy shows noth

in g anal o gous e v e n in t h e l e ast point t o thi s co m m u
, ,

n i cat io n S o long as th e s e e xtraordinary thi n g s ar e

.

n o t thorough ly inv e s tigat e d and tak e n t o pi e c e s and ,

the n philos o phic ally s tudi e d e v e ry th eo ry ab o ut th e m

,

must be withh eld .

T h e s e cond point which hold s an int e rm e diat e posi

,

tio n b e tw e e n t h e first and third is s o m e what r e lat e d ,

t o o dic radiation T h e str e am o f ordinary o d flo w ing

.

from t h e uprais e d arm is str o nge st at t h e point o f t h e

o utstr e tch e d fin g e rs If th e n t h e muscl e s o f t h e arm
.

be mad e rigid and t h e muscular pow e r h e thus ex e r

,

t ed t h e od ic s t r e am b e c o m e s strong e r ; at t h e sam e
,

t im e a p s ychological influ e nc e is felt by t h e s e nsitiv e

accompany ing t h e physiological occ urr e nc e ; h e fe e ls
 19 0 SO M N AMB UL I S M A ND CR AMP .

a s olicitation t o e x e rcis e his muscl e s though h e w as

n o t so m namb ulic and ind ee d w as only a s e nsiti v e
, , , .

This fi rst influ e nc e on t h e will com e s from t h e str e ngth

e n e d Odi e e manation o f t h e non s e nsitiv e A trans fe r -
.

o f t h e volition tak e s plac e h e r e undoubt e dly cont e m , ,

n e o us l
p o r a y and in co n n e ction with t h e transfe r o f
t he ed .

A sup e rficial glanc e at th e s e matt e rs might t e mpt

us to co n s id e r t h e odic and m e ntal e manations t o be
’

t h e sam e and p e rhaps as di ffe ring o n ly in d e gr e e ;

, , ,

and m e n di spos e d to favor ma t e rialism might a d h e r e

to thi s vi e w Bu t n e ar as th e y may be t o e ach oth e r
.
,

th e s e e xp e rim e nts ye t show th e ir e ss e ntial di ffe r e nc e .

Od as w e know is always r e fl e ct e d from t h e glass

, ,

its psychical companion w as not Whil e M iss Bey e r .

w as conn e cte d w ith h e r physician by so str o ng a spir

i t ual bond that s h e h e ard him alon e and n o t m e o r ,

P rofe ssor Rags ky whil e s h e ob ey e d h is volitions only

,

and not min e s h e ye t r e adily p e rc e iv e d my pur ely odic

,

i n flu e nc e s and was d e licat ely s e nsitiv e t o all t h e r e

,

actions which I att e mpt e d by like and unl ik e pairing s

o f my hands wit h h e rs and p e rc e iv e d quit e as strong
,

ly and j ust in t h e sam e way as wh e n h e r physician did

t h e sam e thi ngs Among oth e r exp e rim e nts I had h im
.

'

t o cros s his hands and tak e hold o f h e rs and s h e found ,

thi s to have a v e ry luk e warm e ffe ct I also had him .

to hold h er unlik e hands a short time ; at first s h e

found t h e s e nsati o n pl e asant but soon s h e dr e w away,

wh e n afte r t h e e quilibrium had b e e n e stablish e d a

, ,

sur charg e and luk e warmn e ss followe d In t he pur e .

ly odic r e sp e ct th e n t h e influ e nc e O f h e r physician did

,

no t di ffe r from t h at o f oth e r p e rsons ; his s o r e t ic r e

actions w e r e as di sagr ee abl e t o t h e s o mnamb ul i s t as
 19 2 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND C R AMP .

i s h in g and e ntir e ly in explicabl e und e r o ur pr es e n t

knowl e dg e of e d and s e nsitiv e n e ss That part o f o h .

j e ct iv e clairvoyanc e r e lating to t h e pr e s ent is partly ,

e xplain e d by d io d an e i ty and odic radiation In r e gard .

to such o bj e ct iv e clair v o yan ce as Spr e ads out without

‘

limi t o f spac e o r tim e I hav e alr e ady state d that s o , ,

far as my obs e rvation go e s t h e proph e ci e s o f s o m n am ,

buli s t s ar e fals e and t h e m e r e vagari e s of wild dr e am

In g .

To giv e a littl e mor e compl e t e n e s s and co n firmatio n

t o t h e tr uth o f what I hav e jus t said I shall add s om e ,

furth e r cas e s that cam e und e r my o w n obs e rvation .

F irst I shall tak e up t h e s u bj ec tiv e and th e n t h e o bjec

, ,

t iv e proph e ci e s .

1 45 . Acl airvo yant pro ph ecy by Mis s Reich el .

In Augus t 1 8 44 I to ok Miss Re ich e l wh e n e xtr e m ely

, , ,

s e nsitiv e t o t h e city,
Th e re s h e b e cam e s o m nambul ic
.
,

and among o th e r saying s for e to ld that Sh e woul d hav e ,

’
a viol e nt attack o f cramp that night at t e n o clock .

At ni n e o clock I brought h e r back to Cas tl e R e i se n

’

’
b e rg and at t e n o clock pr e cis e ly t h e pr e dict e d fit o f
, ,

cramp cam e upon h er This lady fo r e to ld in n um e r a .

ble time s with t h e utmo s t pr e cision wh e n s h e wo ul d

, ,

hav e h er n ext attacks o f cramp o r somn amb uli s m an d ,

the s e proph e ci e s w e r e always s o exactly fulfill e d that

it w as t h e custom o f all t h e s e rvants in my ho us e t o
ask h e r in somnamb ul ism wh e n s h e would hav e t h e
, ,

n e xt attack so that pr e parations t o wait upon h er

,

coul d be mad e accordingly Wh e n s h e pr e dicte d an .

attack t he w h ol e matt e r w as consid e r e d as s e ttl ed

, .

S h e mad e a r e qu e st that wh e n Sh e had cramps par , ,

t i cular ly opistho t o nus pas ses should not be m ad e ov e r

,
 ME NTAL EXALTATI ON I N SO MN AMB ULI S M . 19 3

h er with s tee l magne ts but that h e r cramp sh o ul d be ,

all o we d t o rage itse lf Ou t ; t h e u s e o f magn e ts as s h e ,

s aid did no g o od and o nly mad e t h e cramps last lo n

, ,

g er This prov e d to be tru e An attack which shoul d

.

\
.
,

hav e last e d fo ur hour s w as tr e at e d with magn e tic pas

,

s e s by h e r physician and it last e d e ight hours inste ad

, ,

o f b e ing cur e d Mis s W e igand us e d to t e ll e ve ry day

.

at what tim e h e r somnambulic sl ee p wo ul d b egin I .

w e nt s e v e ral tim e s t o s ee h e r b e for e t h e hour fix e d and ,

s atisfi e d mys e lf that t h e abnormal sl e e p c o mm e nc e d

‘

pr ecis ely at t he tim e pr e dicte d .

1 46 . nam bulis ts — But

Predicti o n s by o ther som

o cca s i o nally Miss W e igand pr e dict e d what w as t o c o

cur at a mor e distant tim e S h e for e told mor e than a .

month in advan c e that s h e w o ul d b e c o m e s o m n am bu

lic o n t h e 5t h o f J un e 1 8 55 and continu e in that co n
, ,

dition for thr ee w eeks u nint e rrupt e dly I visit e d h er .

during that tim e and fo und all h e r pr e dicti o ns ful

,
cf

fill e d S uch ca s e s O fte n happ e n e d with h er

. Mi s s .

G ir t ler w e nt s o far in for e t e lling h er o w n conditi o n ,

that s h e was not co n t en t w i t h s p e aking but s h e r e , ,

quir e d h e r physician D r H orst to writ e down what

,
.
,

s h e said and w h e n h e had don e it in my pr e s e nc e h e

, , ,

had t o r e ad it to h e r and th e n t o mak e corr e ctions at

,

h er dictation All h e r words w e r e v e rifi e d by t he

.

subs e qu e nt ev e nts Wh e n Mis s Z in ke l said o n e e v e

.

n ing in somnambulism that s h e was afraid o f t h e e O

, , m

ing night fo r s h e w o uld hav e an attack o f toothach e

, ,

which wo ul d last an hour I n o tic e d h e r s t ate m e nt , ,

without saying anything to any o n e T h e n e xt morn

’
.

ing I in q u ir e d h o w s h e had s l e pt S h e complai n e d .

that s h e had not s l e pt w e ll for from t he tim e t he , ,

9
19 4 SO MN A M BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

cl o ck s t ruck 1 2 un ti l o n e s h e had s ufi e r ed wi th s ev er e
'

to oth ach e At anoth e r tim e Miss Zin k el whil e som

-
.
,

n am bulic at ni ght said s h e would hav e a bl e e ding at

,

t h e nos e t h e n ext m o rn ing at t e n O cl o ck an d it woul d

’
, ,

be pr e c e e d e d by gr e at di zzin e ss I w o uld r e li e v e both .

’
gr e atly s h e said if at nin e o clock in t h e morn i ng I
, , ,

woul d lay s o m e small hors e Sho e magn e t s o n h er br e ast -

and back wi th t he pol es downwards t h e s o uth pol e

, ,

o n t h e right si d e I sai d n o thin g t o h er about thi s

. .

’
At eight o clock in t h e m o r n ing and s ev e ral tim e s la
t e r s h e cam e to m e and complain e d o f a painful di z
,

zi n e s s which had cau s e d h e r t o fall down about half

an hour b e for e In acc o rdanc e wi th h e r dir e ction I

.

wr app e d up t h e magn e ts and appli e d th e m He r h ead .

imm e diat e ly b e cam e cl e ar and in l e ss than thr e e m i n ,

’
ut e s t h e dizzin e s s was gon e At t en o clock I vi s it e d .

h er an d foun d h er n o s e bl e e di ng On an o th e r oc ca .

s ion ,
Mi s s Zin ke l wh e n in somnambul ism s ai d s h e
, ,

woul d be pr e s e nt a t a w e ddi ng o n t h e n ext S u n day ,

an d at mi dnight wo ul d g e t sor e ey e s but t h e sor e n es s ,

wo uld be e asily cur e d by layin g parsl e y that had b ee n

s o ak e d in wat e r upon h e r e y e s , an d s h e r e qu es t e d m e

t o pr e par e som e parsl ey in thi s way fo r h e r I said .

n othing o f thi s c o mmission and had t h e parsl e y pr e

par e d S om e days aft e rward o n t h e morni ng aft e r

.
,

t h e w e ddi n g I s aw h e r and whi l e s h e was t e lling m e ,

about t h e fe sti v iti e s of t h e o ccasion s h e complain e d ,

that at midnight s h e had co m m e nc ed to s uffer from a

s or e n e ss o f t h e ey es s o s e ri o us that s h e w as afraid s h e
,

w o ul d lose h er s ight Afte r half an hour t h e infl am .

,

mation b e gan to incr e ase ; and wh e n I saw h e r h er ,

e y es w e r e v e ry r e d m uch swoll e n and had a strang e

, ,

e xpr es si o n S h e co uld not O p e n nor mov e th e m with

.
19 6 SO M N AM BUL I S M AND CR AMP .

li s m . D ur ing t h e illn e ss Of P rofe ssor Lippich s h e e x

pr esse d s urpris e that h e did n o t com e t o s e e h e r e v e ry
third day as h e had pr e vi o usly don e At last s h e be
,
.

cam e o ffe nd e d at hi s s uppose d n e gl e ct It was plain .

,

from thi s that s h e did n o t know h e was ill I th e n

,
.

t o ld h er that h e was in be d dang e r o us ly ill N ot ,

.

wi thstanding this s h e di d n o t p e rc ei v e that I was co n

,

c e alin g t h e n e ws Of his d e ath which I had r e c e iv e d

,

s e v e ral days b e for e S h e e v e n b e sought m e t o le t h e r

.

hav e h o rs es t o rid e into t he city t o vi sit Lippich and ,

thi s afte r h e was d ead diss ect e d and buri e d I O fte n

, .

ask e d Mi ss Be y e r in somn ambulism ab o ut futur e

, ,

e v e nts and s h e as o ft e n put m e o ff w ith t h e r e ply

,
“
Ho w can I know that nobody can know it ”
Mis s .

N o w o tn y w h o had s o wond e rfully and truly pr e dicte d

,

t h e chang es o f h e r illn e ss s ix w e e ks in advanc e aft e r ,

wards b e cam e ill by n egl e ct and th e n fo r t h e first , ,

tim e w e nt into s t rongly e xpr e ss e d s o mnamb ulism Sh e

,
-
.

s oon mad e pr e dictions which ar e not fit fo r r e p e tition

, ,

but which prov e d to be t h e m e r e vagari e s o f dr e am

in g . Miss Zink el pr e dict e d corr e ctly t h e cour s e of
h er bri e f illn e ss and t h e tim e o f h er r e cov e ry S he .

th e n w e nt farth e r into t h e futur e and said s h e woul d ,

n e v e r b e com e somnambuli c again in h er whol e life .

S inc e that tim e how e v e r s h e has b ee n so m nambulic

, ,

s e v e ral t w e s and wi ll assur e dly b e s o again

. In t h e .

s am e mann e r Miss G ir t ler has o ft e n stat e d that wi th ,

this o r t h at attack h er illn ess would e n d and woul d

,

n ev e r r e turn It e nd e d e v e ry tim e but always r e

.
,

tu rn e d again Mrs Kr ebs had b ee n in t h e habit fo r

. .
,

a lo n g t im e o f pr e dicti ng in somnam b ul ism t h e attacks

, ,

o f cramp and th e s e pr e dictions invariably prov e d t o

,

be c o rr ec t S udd e nly s h e di sco v e r e d th at t h e w e dding

.
 ME NTAL ExALT AT ION I N SO MN AM BUL I S M . 19 7

ring o n her fing e r had b ee n b rok e n pro b ably in co n ,

s e qu e nc e of t h e viol e nt moti o ns in o n e o f h e r attack s

o f cramp and Sh e n o w
,
sank in d e e p r e fl e ction for
s e v e ral day s studying what t h e br e aking could m e an
, .

F in ally s h e said v e ry co n fid e ntly that s h e had s e e n

, ,

t h e m e aning which was that h er husband would d ie

, , ,

afte r thr ee m o nths and would be buri e d o n Corpus

,

Chri s ti D ay He r husband pr e par e d hims elf with

.

pray e r t o m ee t his G o d but Co rpus Christi D ay cam e -

and w e nt and aft e r m o r e than a y e ar and a day Mr

, , , .

Kr ebs was s till aliv e and as w e ll as e v e r Mi s s Zin kel .

,

w h o pr e dicte d t h e chang e s o f h e r o w n illn e ss with

wond e rful pr e cision pr e scrib e d unask e d v arious r e
, , ,

m e di e s for s to mach ach e and among oth e rs a n umb e r

-
, , ,

o f small fragm e nts Of calcar e ous crystals which w e r e ,

to be plac e d in a littl e bag and lai d on t he s tomach .

S inc e t h e strongly o d n e gativ e sharp point e d crystal s

-
,
-

might ex e rcis e t h e s am e influ e nc e as a right hand I ,

tri e d t h e pr e scription but t h e pr e diction was n o t ful

,

fill e d t h e cry s tal s did not cur e t he st o mach ac h e -

.

1 48 . Weigand s celes tial revel ati o ns — Ou my

Mis s ’

fir s t v isit to Mis s W e igand I found h er in t h e c o ndi ,

”
t i o n call e d E ctasy by t h e magn e tis e rs Sh e was lying
“
.

upon h er back up o n a be d with h e r hands fold e d ov e r ,

h e r br e ast as in pray e r surround e d by a s e mi circl e

, ,
-

o f p e rsons in d e votion th e y w e r e admiring and honor

ing h e r as a s aint A large tall man and a woman
.
,

w e r e kn e e ling down b e for e h e r and h e r physician ,

sat at a tabl e n e ar by taking do w n e v e ry word utt e r e d

by t h e s o mnambulic dr e am e r in a drawling path e ti c , ,

ton e AS I e nt e r e d s h e was just t e lli n g t h e man and

.

h is wi fe on th e ir kn ee s that th ei r d e ar d e c e as e d child
 19 8 SO M NAMBUL I S M A ND CR AMP .
.

was not in t h e Third but o nly in t h e S e cond H e ave n

, ,

wh e nc e it would soon go to t h e Third and advanc e ,

to t h e foot stool o f G o d
-
T h e poor coupl e w e r e
.

bath e d in t e ars T h e physician put down e v e rything

.
,

and th e n took note s o f a j ourn ey mad e by Miss We i

gand to t h e plan e ts Ce r e s and V e nus and to t h e S un , ,

t h e patt e rn o f h e r trip looking as though it had b e e n

cut o u t by orthodox cath olic tailor s and all that sort ,

o f nons e ns e Sh e continu e d to sp e ak such stu ff mix e d

.
,

with absurd pr e dictions fo r mor e than an hour and

, ,

t h e gross e r t h e foolishn e ss t h e m o r e e x cit e d w e r e t h e

,

pray e rs o f thos e pr e s e nt many o f whom w e r e on th e ir

,

k n e e s with th e ir hands rais e d in pray e r

,
I hav e s e e n .

and h e ard many thi ngs o f this kind but I think what I ,

hav e r e lat e d is e nough to support t h e g e n e ral stat e m ent

to Show t h at in t h e thirty o n e mor e o r l e ss s o m n am
,
-

bulic p e rsons with whom I hav e busi e d mys elf I hav e ,

not h e ard a singl e tru e pr e diction ab out matt e rs lyi ng

outsid e of th e ms e lv e s from an y o n e o f t h e m All
, .

th e ir pr e dictions ab out for e ign m att e rs w e r e without ,

e xc e ption t h e m e r e play of t h e ungov e rn e d fancy

,
It .

is possi bl e t h at hig h e r pow e rs hav e app e ar e d e ls e

wh e r e but I n e v e r saw anything to convinc e m e of th e ir
,

e xist e nc e .

If th e s e O bs e rvations b e compar e d with e ach oth e r

and with t h e proph e tic pow e r ascrib e d to s o m n am bu
lists by t h e common p e opl e it will be s e e n that t h e
,

latt e r are far wrong It may be said that my s o m

.

n am b u lis t s w e r e not d e e p e nough in somnam bulism ;

bu t if n o t o n e among th irty o n e was d e e p enough to

-

hav e t h e suppos e d pr Oph e t ic facult y th e n t h at facul ty ,

must be v e ry rar e e v e n among somnam bulists And

,
.

th e n no o n e has giv e n a sign by which t h e d e e pn e s s

,
20 0 SO MNAMBULI S M AND CRAMP .

an hour t h e vi sitor tickl e d by curiosity w e nt t o o n e

, , ,

Sid e O p e n e d his l e tt e r and r e ad it Wh e n h e r e turn e d

, .

and sat down in t h e company t h e s omn ambulist agai n ,

“
addr e ss e d him and s aid I can now t e ll yo u what
,

th e r e is in your l e tt e r your patron writ e s to yo u that

y o u s hall and s h e w e nt o n to s tat e t h e purpo rt
o f t h e l e t t e r v e ry corr e ctly I hav e t h e r e port o f this
.

c as e from a p e rson in wh o m I plac e much co n fid e nce

but I t e ll it as I h e ard it and can not vouch for it ,

p e rsonally P r e sum ing howe v e r that it is corr e ct i t

.
, , ,

is v e ry instructiv e S o long as t h e g e ntl e man di d n o t

.

k now t h e conte nts of t h e l e tt e r so long t h e s o m n am ,

buli s t was also ignorant but from t h e m o m e nt that h e

kn e w it s h e kn e w it also Sh e th er e for e had no w ay
,
.
, ,

to l e arn i t s cont e nts s av e thr ough t h e consci o u sn e ss

o f its p o ss e ss o r .Be tw e e n t h e tim e wh e n s h e co uld
n o t discov e r t h e purport o f t h e l e tt e r and t h e tim e ,

wh e n s h e l e arn e d it nothing had pas s e d s av e t h e r e ad

, ,

ing by t h e g e ntl e man add t h e knowl e dg e o f it in his

,

consciousn e ss S h e th e r e for e had acc e ss to h is con

.
, ,

s cio u s n e s s
, coul d s e iz e t h e id e as th e r e cur r e nt and ,

could trans fe r th e m to h e r o w n c o nsciousn e ss Our .

physicists and t h e psychol o gists O f t h e n e w school

, ,
”
will s ay this cannot be i t is impossibl e
, I r e ply .

“
I cannot compr e h e nd o r e xplain t h e possibility but ,

t h e fact ( as sumi ng t h e truth of t h e r e port) e stablish e s ,

t h e p o s ibili t y . Although I cann ot e xplain i t I would ,

n o t th e r e for e b e justifi e d in d e nying t h e fact

, ,
L ogi c .

do e s n o t j us tify t h e conclusion that b e caus e w e d o , ,

not unde r s tand a thing that th e r e for e it do e s not e xi st

, .

W e do not know what a m e ntal conc e ption i s and S O

l o ng as w e ar e ignorant o n s uch a p o int so long ,

as w e d o n o t kn ow wh e th e r a m e ntal conc e ption

 ME NTAL ExALT AT ION I N SO M NAMBUL I S M ; 20 1

is of a mat e rial natur e o r not wh e th e r i t i s t h e e ffe ct ,

o f a forc e o r a forc e in its e lf lik e Od wh e th e r it h as

, ,

o r radiat e s o u t an atmosph e r e so ‘long in o n e word , ,

as w e know so v e ry littl e o f t h e n atur e of id e as and ,

o f t h e pr e s e nc e o f id e a in o u r consciousn e s s — s o lo n g ,

I s ay as such i s t h e cas e w e must not d e clar e such

, ,

a gr e at fact as t h e o n e und e r consid e ration to be ,

unworthy o f inv e stigation We ar e rath e r un d e r .

obligation o u r high e st int e r e s t r e q u ir e s us to in v e sti

, ,

gat e it .

150 . Mi ss Reich el frighten ed by an

im agin ary d o g .

—F ollowing t h e cours e Of impartial inv e stigation I ,

s h all h er e r e cord my c e rtain e xp e ri e nc e s as a count e r ,

part t o t h e s tat e m e nts o f anoth e r as r e cord e d in t h e ,

last paragraph I hav e alr eady told h o w Miss R e ich e l

.
,

wh e n in d ee p s omnambulism did n o t obs e rv e t h at s h e ,

had r e ach e d t h e top o f t h e s tairway and that s h e rais e d ,

h er foot fo r anoth e r st e p [ T h e author h as not told

.

u s anything o f t h e kind that I r e m e mb e r TR A NS ]

,
. .

S h e had th e r e for e n o t dir e ctly O bs e rv e d n o r l e arn e d

, , ,

from my consciousn e ss t h e fact that w e had r e ach e d

,

t h e t o p o f t h e stairway It is tru e p e rhaps h e r at

.
, , ,

te ntion was n o t fix e d o n t h e stairs but o n h e r conv e r ,

s ati o n and att e ntion is absolut e ly n e c e ssary t o Obse r

,

v ation In anoth e r cas e how e v e r t h e r e was no lack

. , ,

o f att e ntion T h e sam e night Miss R e ich el v e ry d ee p

.
, ,

in somnambuli s m wi s h e d to go pu t into t h e be autiful

,

moonshin e Al l r e pr e se ntations and app e al s to mak e

.

h er d e sist fr o m this purpos e w e r e in vain and Sh e w as ,

going t o hav e h e r will e v e n if s h e had to br e ak aw ay

,

forcibly F i n ally it occurr e d to a s e rvant t o warn

.
,

her ag ain s t a lar g e d o g which ran l o os e i t he p ark

,

s p
20 2 S O M N AMBU LI S M A ND CR AMP .

at night This induc e d he r to abandon h e r p urpo s e

.
,

and go b ack t o h e r be d room But th e re was no d o g .

in t h e park ; t h e o n l v dog in front Of t h e castl e was a

F lo r e n t in ian molossus o f cast iron S h e th e r e for e .
, ,

did not know t h at t h e r e was no dog about and not , ,

with standing h e r somnambulism s h e w as d e c e iv e d by ,

a v e ry simpl e trick He r p e rc e ption did not r e ach

.

th rough t h e park nor into t h e consciousn e ss o f t h e

,

lying s e rvant Miss Blahu s ch whil e with m e in t h e

.
,

dark chamb e r waiting fo r t he d e v e lopm e nt o f h e r

,

visual facul ty fe ll into somnambulic sl ee p Mr Lee

,
. .

pold e r was pr e s e nt As h e b egan t o jok e with h er

.
,

s h e suppos e d him to be an unmarri e d man and h e r ,

conv e rsatio n with him tak ing its ton e from t h at sup
,

position continu e d for som e ti m e He n o t o n lv how

,
.
,

e v e r had a wife living but o n e o f his daught e r s was

, ,

pr e se nt in t h e sam e dark chamb e r ; ye t t h e s e mnam

bu lis t did not p e rc e iv e th e s e facts .

1 51 . Cl airvo yan ts no t h eari ng wh en s po k en t o .

Wh e n I spok e wit h Miss R e ich e l in t h e most s us ce p
ti bl e condition of h e r somnambulism s h e did not n u
d e r s t an d m e and I h ad to r e p e at Onc e it happ e n e d .

th at I h ad t o r e p e at my words t h r e e tim e s and th e n ,

'

had to ch ang e t h e form of t h e s e nte nc e b e for e s he

und erstood m e I am not a nativ e o f V i e nna b u t was
.

born in S t u t t g ar d and th e r e for e hav e not t he V i e nn e s e

,

acc e nt ; and this sli gh t di ffer e nc e b e twee n o ur forms

o f e xpr e ssion though w e b ot h Sp e ak tol e ra bly pur e

G e rm an mad e my words di fficult o f und e rstanding

,

for h e r T he s am e di ffi culty occurr e d with Miss Bey e r

. .

T h is lady be ing a nativ e of Boh e mia sp e aks almost

,

ex cl us iv e ly hi gh G e rman [ In Boh e mi a t h e p eo pl e ar e
,
204 SO M N AMB UL I S M AND CR AM P .

Kyn as t that clairv o yanc e do e s not n ec e ssarily b elong

,

t o somn amb uli sm but that in t h e latt e r condition

, ,

som e thing e ls e may app e ar a high e r spiri t ual condi

, ,

tion which is t h e m e ans o f thi s obj e ctiv e clairvoyanc e

and s e rv e s t o conv e y id e as im m w iat e ly from o n e m i nd
t o an o t h e r .

It will be said that th e r e ar e s ta t e s in s o m n am bu

lis m and that what do e s not app e ar in o n e stag e wi ll
, ,

b e foun d in anoth e r T h e po ssibility is not t o be

.

d e ni e d . Y e t t h e whol e rang e o f my e xp e ri e nc e
prov e d that p e rso ns in t h e low e st stag e o f s o m n am bu
lism , Miss Zin k el for ins tan ce wh e n m e r e ly t o uch e d
,

by it in n e arly h e althy days had t h e faculty o f for e

,

s ee ing t h e cour s e of h er h e alth for a w e e k t o com e ,

dur ing which w ee k s h e was t o be w ell and able t o

atte nd to h e r ordi nary work and t o g o to a ball ; ,

t hough d ee p somnambulists in t h e h igh e st e xaltati o n

coul d not know t h e thoughts o f oth e r p e r s o n s aroun d
th e m It w as th e n n e ith e r t h e h e ight nor t h e d e pth
.

o f t h e somn ambulism whi ch d e te rmi n e d t h e sp iri t ual

p e rc e ption ; a sup e rinduc e d change in t h e s omnambulic

stat e broug h t this p e rc e pti v e pow e r with it and this ,

chang e was e vid ently o n e conn ect e d imm e diat e ly with

s e n it iv e n e ss but whos e natu r e caus e and m o des o f
p ,

act i on ar e e ntir e ly unknown t o us

,

1 53 . Acute n ess o f o dic percepti o n and so m nam

bulism o ppo s ite s tates — Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r assu r e d

m e at v arious tim e s that t h e capability o f s e e ing t h e

o dic lights and fee ling t h e odi c s e nsati ons s tands in a

kind o f oppo sition t o t he faculty o f clairvoyanc e in

s o mnamb ulis m and wh e n e ith e r ros e t he o th e r p e rc e p
,

t i bly s an k S he co ns id e r e d t h e forme r as a s e nsu o u s

.
 M EN TAL ExALT AT ION I N SO M N AM BUL IS M . 20 5

ex et rnal fee ling t h e la t t er as an inward conc eption .

T h e faculty o f e xt e rnal p erc e ption b e cam e m o r e ac u te

wh e n s h e was v e x e d o r angry or frigh t e n e d ; whi l e
,

t h e inward pr Oph e t i c faculty gr e w strong e r in propor

tion to t h e qui e tud e of h e r mind and t h e d e pth o f h e r
Sl ee p I hav e Shown abov e that v e xation ang e r and
.
, ,

fright O p e rat e o d positiv ely and s o r e t ically upon t h e

-

h e ad lik e upward pass e s which incr e as e t h e acut en e s s

,

o f t h e vision and fee ling fo r t h e odic rays On t h e .

o th e r hand I hav e prov e d that downward pass e s e x e r

cis e a n em e t ic influ e nc e and th e y not only w e ak e n t h e

,

v ision for odic lights but th e y e v e n d e stroy it e ntir e ly

for a tim e That downward pass e s hav e a t e nd ency

.

t o induc e sl ee p has b ee n known fo r y e ars Bu t it is .

in t h e d e ep e st sl ee p that t h e s omnamb u lists ar e t h e

most dispos e d to mak e pr e dictions about t h e futur e
,

conditions o f th e ir h e alth and about oth e r matte rs .

T h e s tat e m e nt s o f Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r agr ee r e mark

ably with all my vari e d e xp e ri e nc e s as r e cord e d in ,

this work and o n taking a g e n e ral v i e w o f t h e facts

w e arriv e at t h e foll o wing g e n e ral r e sult as o n o n e
s id e t h e s o r e t ic tran s fe r o f e d to t h e c e r ebral sy s t e m

e xalts t h e o d ic p e rc e ption and w e ak e ns t h e clairvoyant

faculty ; so o n t h e oth e r sid e n em e t ic transfe r o f 0 d

from t h e brain and to t h e sym pathic syste m qui e ts
, ,

m e ntal e xcite m e nt w e akn e ss and e v e n d e stroys t h e

,

o di c p e rc e ption induc e s r e st and sl e e p and cr eat e s

, , ,

e xcit e s and e xalts t h e clairvoyant fac ul ty

,
.

Thu s w e hav e work e d ours e lv e s through t h e e ndl e ss

confusion and e ntangl em e nt t o a c er tain commandi ng
point whe nc e w e can with to l erabl e cl e arn e ss ov erlook
,

a l arg e r portion o f t h e fi e ld .
20 6 SO MN AM BU LI S M A ND CR AMP .

1 54. A blo w at th e m aterialis ts .— S om e

l e arn e d
m e n b e longin g t o t h e s chool o f gross r e alism includ
, ,

ing c e rtain ph ysiologists lik e Mr V ogt and many .

,

ch e mists lik e Mr L i ebig w ho hav e found that commo n

.
,

s alt is d e comp o s e d and e v e n e laborat e d in t h e human

body in t h e sam e mann e r as thos e ch emical proc e ss e s

can be c o nducte d in t h e r e tort and th e nc e hav e drawn
,

t h e illogical conclusion t h at man wit h his body and ,

s oul hid e and hair is n othing mor e than a co urs e o f a

, ,

d e v elopm e nt o f a ffinity w h o look upon consciousn e ss

,

as a m e r e product o f mate rial organizations and as a ,

m e r e function of matte r —p e opl e w h o n e v e r mad e a

,

thorough inv e s tigation into t h e inne r natur e o f con

s c io u s n e s s
, of id e as and o f thought although th e y ,

think th e ms e lv e s justifi e d and qualifi e d to pass t h e

bold e st judgm e nts— t h e s e p e opl e hav e laid gr e at w e ight ,

among oth e r things upon t h e E nglish inv e stigations

,

i n somnambulism and t h e Allgem eine Zei tu n g (o f

A ugsburg) has publish e d an articl e en titl e d An ,

E v e ning with Ellio t s o n from H e rr Cotta which at

”
, ,

tract e d much atte ntion and was thought t o giv e a strong

support to t he mate rialistic vi e ws of t h e natu r e o f t h e
human soul I think this t h e prop e r plac e for m e t o
.

e xpr e ss my O pinion ab o ut this matt e r and about all ,

Similar cranioscopi e inv e stigations Mr Ellio t s o n of . .

,

L o n don is und e niably d ee ply l e arn e d in t h e ph e no

,

m e na of somn am bulism and t he world is ind ebte d t o

,

him for much instruction Bu t as t h e E nglish trans

.
,

lator o f and comm e ntator upon som e of my writings

, , ,

and as an anatomist fami liar with t h e organs o f t h e h u

man h e ad h e should not hav e ov e rlook e d som e im por
,

tant points wh e n h e ask e d hims e lf and o th e rs for t h e

caus e o f t h e grimac e s and g es ticulation s which fo llow e d
 208 SO MN AMB UL I S M A ND CR AMP .

’
s e nsitiv e s h e ad so that it is o v e r t h e larg e e ar n e rv e
-
, ,

t h e i nflu e nc e will grow mor e pai nf ul t h e long e r t h e

finge r be k e pt in it s plac e T h e i nflu e nc e will be o f .

lik e pol e s r e acting s o r e t i cally upon e ach oth e r an d

-
, ,

aft e r a littl e tim e will be li k e th at o f a surcharg e

,
.

Thi s infl u e nc e must be almost into l e rabl e to t h e s o m

n am buli s t T h e i n fl ue nc e wi ll r e act obstru ctiv e ly o n
.

t h e brain and wi ll particularly a ffe ct t h e parts n e ar e st

,

which t h e n e rv e e nt e rs t h e brain and not imm e diate ly ,

und e r t h e fing e r wh e r e probably no in flu e nc e will be

,

fe lt If Mr Ellio t s o n now attribute s t h e s ubj ect s

. .
’

e xpr e ssion of pain t o that part o f t h e skull cov e r e d

by t h e fin g e r h e is e v id e ntly in e rror T h e e mana

,
.

tions fr o m hi s fing ers as w e hav e s e e n in t h e co urs e

,

o f th e s e inv e stigati ons O p e rat e m uch mor e rapidly ,

along t h e cour s e o f t h e n e rv e s than di r e ctly through

t h e skull whi ch is an amorph o us s ub s tanc e but although
, ,

‘
p e rm e abl e t o 0 d it do es n o t conduct it so rapidly as
,

t h e n e rvous s ubstanc e Wh e n ev e r I mad e exp e rim e nts

.

in r egard to odic influ e nc e o n t h e h e ad I alway s found ,

t h e e ffe cts produc e d through t h e sub cutan e o us n e rv es -

t o be t h e fi rst in ti m e and str e ngth Bu t if Mr . .

Elli o t s o n mov e d his fin g e r from o n e sid e o f t h e h e ad

t o t h e ot h e r o r us e d a fi ng e r o f t h e o th e r hand or
, ,

change d i t s po sition so that i t s dir e ction was wi th ,

and not agains t t h e cours e of t h e n e rv e or plac e d it

, ,

wh e r e it O p e rate d on two n e rv e s at onc e— if h e h e ld

i t for a long e r o r shorte r tim e o r chang e d it from o n e ,

n e rv e t o anoth e r o r chang e d i ts distanc e n e ar e r t o o r

,

furth e r from t h e n e rv e to be a ffe ct e d in e v e ry cas e ,

t h e c h ang e woul d caus e d ifi e r e n t s e nsations in t h e

'

somnamb ulists som e tim e s agr e e abl e som e tim e s d is a

, ,

g r eea bl,
e n o w q uick th e n Slow in m o ti o n h e r e ir r it at
, ,
 M EN TA L EXA LTATI ON IN SO MNAM BUL I S M . 20 9

ing th e r e s o o thing painful o r d e licious and so o n ;

, , ,

an d wh e n h e wish e s t o suppos e that t h e play o f

g e sticulations is bas e d o n j o y and s o rr o w r e ligio n,

and wick e dn e ss h e can find abun dant room for hi s

,

fancy Bu t if it shoul d happ e n that t h e o dic influ e nc e

.

o f t h e fing e r p e n e trat e s into t h e s kull t h e discharg e

,

must be c o nv e ye d all through t h e brain und e r t he law

o f odic c o nduction in continuou s bodi e s and O p e rat e s
,

u pon all parts o f it at t h e sam e tim e Thi s influ e nc e

.

must be s o complicat e d that n o trustworthy concl usi o n

can be draw n fr o m it and t h e only s e cur e bas e for
,

judging t h e e ffe c t o f t h e change o f t h e fing e rs is in

t h e influ enc e e x e rt e d o n t h e s ub cutan e o us n e rv e s t he
m o m e nt afte r t h e positi on o f t h e fi ng e r h as b ee n
chang e d This can t e ach us n o thing about that part
.

o f t h e brain und e r t h e fing e r and much l e ss o f i t s

,

s piri t ual s ignific anc e All t he e xtr aordi nary thin gs

.

laid b e for e u s in this way as pr o bl e ms o f psychology ,

e vid e ntly r e st o n an improp e r conn e ction o f caus e and

e ffe ct th e ir e xplanatio n is to be s o ught in an e ntir e ly

di ffe r e nt dir e ction and finds its prop e r solution in t h e
,

laws o f o d T h e mat e rialism o f t h e hyl o zoi s ts c ann o t

.

r e ap t he s li ghtes t h arv es t in thi s fi e ld .

21 0 SO MN AMBU LI S M AND CRAMP .

CH AP T ER XV .

S O ME PE CULIA R MENTAL COND rrIONs OF SO MN AMB ULIS T S .

1 55 . D ro w s in ess . —
Befor e s o mnamb ul ic s l eep ,

b egins it is oft e n t hough n o t always pr e c e de d by pr e

, , ,

monitory fee lings such as w e call dr o wsin e s s wh en

th ey pr e c e d e ordin ary sl ee p This o rdi n ary dro ws in es s
.

w e can r e sist and thus put o ff t h e comm e nc e m e nt o f

s l ee p and t h e sam e may be s aid o f s o mnambulic Sl e e p
, .

Th us with Mis s Krug e r whil e I was mak ing exp eri

m e nts wi th h e r I s aw h er struggling ag ainst t h e s o m
,

n am bul ic drowsin e ss and wh e n I fi nis h e d my exper i

,

m e nts Sh e fe ll asl e e p I ofte n saw Miss Zin ke l b e s e t

.

by t h e Sam e drowsin e ss If I was not pr e s e nt s h e

.
,

would r e sist it by taking brisk e x e rcis e going o u t into ,

t h e fr e sh air spr inkling cold wate r in h e r fac e o r

, ,

drinking ice wate r By th es e m e ans s h e o v e rcam e

.

t h e drowsin e ss ; b u t s h e always fe lt a p e culiar pr e ssur e

o n t h e ey e s th e n a b urnin g of t h e e y e s and s e nsations
, ,

similar to thos e ca us e d by light upward pass e s I .

oft e n saw Miss Bey e r struggling t o r e p e l t h e s o m n am

bulic drowsin e ss and by e xp e ri e nc e s h e b e cam e prae
,

tic e d in t h e matte r Bu t s h e had to do p enanc e fo r

.

dri ving away t h e sl e e p It o ft en happ en e d and s om e

.
21 2 SO M N AM BUL I S M A ND CR AMP .

s omnambulism giv e n by J e nny L ind in t h e O p e ra o f

" ”
L a S o m n am bu la going o u t with a light e d candl e
,

upon a roof is far Ir o m natur e Wh e n I w e nt with a

, .

light e d candl e at night to s e e Mi s s Zin ke l in s o m n am

, ,

bulis m h e r first word was an urg e nt r e qu e st that I

,

s hould put o u t t h e light b e caus e it burnt h e

, " I plac ed .

it b ehind h e r b e d and s h e was satisfi e d with this

,
.

Miss R e ich e l wh en somnambulic would b e ar no light

, , .

and if an att e mpt was mad e to c o mp el h e r to submit

t o it s h e would scr e am with ang e r and fall into
cram p s Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r co uld b e ar t h e light
.
,

but only afte r a conqu e st o v e r h e r o w n fe e ling s and ,

th e n I had to plac e it b ehind s om e pi e c e o f furnitur e

so that its dir e ct ray s s ho ul d not s trik e h er Miss .

N owotny would not p ermit t h e light to b e br o ught

n e ar e r than t h e adjoining room .

Bu t to com e back to t h e s tat e o f consci o usn e ss in

s o m nambulism som e id e a o f i t may be form e d from
,

t h e following o bs e rvation mad e o n Mis s D o rfe r I .

was making s om e odic exp e rim e nts with h e r s h e fol

low e d my d ir e ctions and communicat e d t h e r e sult t o
m e . Aft e r a tim e I notic e d h e r s ist e r w h o was pr e ,

s e nt smiling and did not k n ow why S h e s ee ing in

, , .

’ “ ”
quiry in my e y e s s aid Why Sh e s asl e e p .
, N ow for .

’
t h e first tim e I p e rc e iv e d that t h e s e nsitiv e s e y e s w e r e
cl o s e d and that s h e had b e com e somnambulic with o ut
,

my ob s e rv i ng i t T he cons e rvati o n t h e e xp e rim e nts

.
, ,

qu e sti ons and answe rs had continu e d th e ir cours e and ,

so qui e t was h e r transiti o n to somnambul is m th at I

did n o t notic e t h e gr e at chang e in t h e consciousn e ss
o f my assistant S imilar cas e s oft e n happ e n e d in day
.
.

lig h t and in t h e dark ch am be r with Miss e s S t ur m an n ,

R e ich el At zm an n s d o r fer Bey e r and Kynast so that

, , ,
 ME NTAL COND ITI ONS OF SO MN AMB UL I S T S . 21 3

in t he midst o f t h e conv e rsation i t was n e c e ssary for

“
m e to look o r as k ar e yo u asl e e p o r awak e ? ”

1 57 . T h e Aut ho r i t t o Miss G irtler —Wh e n

’
s firs t v si .

I mad e my first visit to Miss Cl e m e ntin e G ir t le r I ,

found h e r w i t h h e r moth e r and both cam e forward

, ,

with studi e d polit e n e ss to m e e t m e as a stran g e r in

t r o d u ce d by th e ir physician T h e first v isit was a .

bri ef o n e but t h e guard e d d e corum o f t h e young lady

, ,

h e r grac e ful motions h er fr ee dom from afi e c t at io n

'

, ,

an d h er r e gular participation in t h e conv e r s ation did

not indicat e that s h e was in any abnormal s tat e t h e ,

o nly appar e nt s ign s o f which w e r e h e r clos e d ey e s

“
an d t h e us e o f thou in addr e s sing e v e rybody T h e .

cons e rvation soon turn e d upon h e r h e alth and h e r pe

culiar condition and s h e s pok e ab o ut it as fr ee ly and
,

as cl e arly as if s h e had b ee n talking o f a c o ugh o r a

corn E v e ry s e nt enc e was so r e asonabl e and h er d e
.
,

s cripti o n o f t h e natur e o f h er s tat e w e r e s o tru e and

o bj e ctiv e ly corr e ct that I had to guard my s e lf e v e ry

m o m e n t l e st I s houl d forg e t that h er m ind was in a

sph e r e o f c o n s ciousn e ss far r e m o t e from ours Wh e n I .

w as about to go away Sh e invit e d m e to com e again .

an d b egg e d pardon in t h e choic e st t e rms fo r t h e fr e e ,

d o m which s h e had tak e n o f saying thou to m e but

“
,

it woul d b e impos s ibl e o r at l e a s t a painful co m pul

s ion fo r h e r t o e xpr e ss h e r s e lf diffe r e ntly — this was

o n e o f t h e privil e g e s o f somnambulists Wh e n I r e .

pli e d am o ng o th e r things h o w d e sirabl e it is that all

m en shoul d throw o ff t h e fals e portions of th e i r con
”
v e n t io n al customs and always u s e t h e upright
“
thou
t o wards e ach o th e r t h e expr e ssion m e t h e r full ap
,

proval and s h e assur e d m e that it was t h e advantag e

,
 214 SO MNAM B UL I S M AND CR AMP .

o f so mnamb ul i sm that in that stat e t h e tongu e s peak s

,

with t h e truth and si nc e rity o f t h e inward thoughts

and fe e lings al l dir e ct and indir e ct fals e hoods w e r e
th e r e sacrific e d t o t h e fr e sh impuls e s of t h e h e art n u ,

r es train e d by conv e ntionaliti e s M e n I r e pli e d w as

.
,

th e r e a h igh e r and nobl e r b e ing than In normal life ;

and to this s he ass e nt e d with all h e r he art as s h e bad e
m e G oo d D ay I d e scrib e this sc e n e so cir cum s t an
.

t ially b e caus e it giv e s a corr e ct pictur e o f t h e condi

tion o f e xp e ri e nc e d somnambulists and e nabl e s e v e ry
,

o n e t o corr e ct e rron e o us conc e ptions o f that s tate N0 .

p e rson ignorant o f s omnambulism woul d hav e b e li e v e d

that this was anything sav e trick e ry and d e c eption ,

but Miss G ir t ler was r e ally a highly int e r e sting and

d e e ply somnambulic s u ffe re r in whom at oth e r tim e s
,

t h e strang e st ph e nom e na app e ar e d I pass e d many

.

hours in int e ll e ctual conv ersati on with h er o n oth e r

o ccasi o n s but wi th o ccas s io n al inte rruptions by som

n am bu lic paroxysms wh e r e in t h e usually mild maid e n

b e cam e furi o usly e xcite d h e r e xte rnal conduct s how

,

ing t he viol e nc e o f h e r e xtraordinary int e rnal n e rv o us

di s ord e rs At th e s e t im e s t h e gr e at di ffe r e nc e s in t h e
.

phas e s o f somn ambulism app e ar e d in th e ir stronges t

light but I can not dwe ll upo n that branch of t h e sub
,

j ec t in this tr e atis e .

Wh e n in 1 8 45 with Be rze lius and Coun cillor H och

,

b erg e r I visit e d L ady Bar o n e ss E lis e von S e ck e ndorf

,

in Carlsb ad I unint e ntionally thr e w h er into s o m

,

n am b ulis m by a pass or two mad e ov e r h e r right han d

with a crystal of gypsum He r conduct continu e d to

.

b e s o tru e to t h e ordinary c o nv e ntional rul e s that w e

all th r ee th e n knowing littl e of somnambulism s u p
, ,

po se d s h e was m e r e ly pr e t e nding t o be somnambul ic ,

 21 6 SO MN AMB ULI S M AND CR AMP .

lo pm en t o f h er
cramp s A third tim e s h e gav e m e pr e
.

cis e information about s omnamb ulic v ision wh e n s e

v e ral bodi e s stood b e for e t h e o bj e ct to be s e en as in ,

lookin g into t h e int e rior o f t h e hum an body S h e had .

s o cl e ar a consciousn e ss o f h e r own situation and s h e ,

was so c o mp e t e nt t o maintain an int e llig e nt conv e r

sation that every such m ee ting with h er was p e culiar
,

ly instructiv e And this happ e n e d at a ti m e wh e n h e r

.

somn amb ul ism w as s o lo w that s h e co ul d s e e nothi ng

sav e a r e d cloud b e for e h er ey e s and I had to l e ad .

h e r about .

1 59 . T rulhfi l lnes s o f Miss Zink eI.

—T he
co n duct o f
Mis s Z ink el o n o n e occasi o n show s a qu e e r phas e o f
somnamb ulism S h e w as c o nv e rsing in that stat e with
.

m e wh e n s h e sudd e nly a ss um e d a to n e o f gr e at in ti

macy and said t o m e V o n R e ich e nbach I must t e ll

, ,
“
,
” ”
th e e som e thi ng in c o nfid e nc e W e ll what is it ?
.
,
“
I hav e b e e n d e c ei v ing th e e ”
Ho w “
I hav e r e
.
“

ce iv e d a l et t e r from t h e captain and hav e c o nc e al e d ,

it from th ee He insists upon marryin g m e I t ell

. .

th e e n o w that I d e c e iv e th e e in t h e dayt im e so th ou ,

may e st know it bu t th o u mus t n o t s ay anything t o m e

,

w h e n I am awak e for thou know e st i t wo uld gri e v e

,

”
and o ffe nd m e I promi s e d sil e nc e and k e pt my pr o
.

mis e but I mu s t t e ll t h e s ecr e t t o t h e r e ad e r in co n

fi d e n ce A w e althy captain in t h e Im p e rial army was
.

th e n courting h e r and s h e was irr e solut e wh e th e r to

acc e pt h im and assum e d t h at I was oppos e d t o t h e
,

match t h ough I said nothing e ith e r for nor against it

,
.

S h e had pr ev io usly wh e n awak e told m e so m e th in g o f

, ,

t h e a ffa i r but conc e al e d t h e r e c e ipt o f t h e l e tt e r

,
In .

thi s conduct w e s e e a p e culi ar psyc h olo g ical puzzle h o w ,

 ME N TAL COND ITI ONS OF S OMNAMBULIST T 21 7

t he s ensitiv e w as mor e candid and upright to ward s

m e in somn ambulism than wh e n awak e and s h e e n ,

t e r e d a kind o f complaint b e for e m e against t h e waking

s e lf forbiddin g m e at t h e s am e tim e to raise t h e v e il
, , ,

o f h e r somnambulic confid e nc e in t h e day tim e What

-
.

a Singular changing o f t w o p e rsonaliti e s in o n e and

t h e sam e individual and all with t h e consci o usn e ss o f
,

t h e chang e . S h e kn e w that wh e n awak e s h e was t h e

s am e p e rson ; and b e tray e d that o th e r o n e to m e " I

dar e n o t t e ll h e r what s h e h e rs e lf told m e S h e kn e w

.

that wh e n awak e s h e would not know anything of that

which s h e did t elling m e 1 Bu t how did s h e n o w that ?
What an incompr e h e nsibl e conscious d o ubl e p e rsona
lit y i In a s imilar mann e r Miss Zin k el oft e n in som ,

n am bu lis m b ad e m e n e v e r to t ell h e r wh e n awak e

,
’
, ,

that s h e had b e e n s omnambulic It would pain and

”
gri ev e m e s h e would s ay and insist that I should
, ,

promis e sil e nc e On e day I coul d n o t r esist t he d e sir e

.

to Sp e ak t o h e r ab o ut h e r s omnambulism and ind ee d , , ,

it s ee m e d to pain h e r t o think that s h e had b ee n som

n am bulic a stat e fo r which Sh e had a gr e at dislik e
,
.

Bu t t h e qu ee r e st part o f it occurr e d t h e n e xt day ,

wh e n s h e again b e cam e somnambulic S h e th e n gav e

.

m e a s e v e r e and formal l e ctur e for having brok e n my

pr o mis e and b e tr ay e d h e r abnorm al condi tion t o h e r

wh e n awak e I th e n had to mak e sacr e d ass ev e rations
.

that I would n e v e r d o t h e lik e again .

My fri e nds and mys e lf o ft e n talk e d fo r hours o r

half days at a tim e wi th Miss e s At zm ann s d o rfe r Re i
-
,

c h e l S t ur m an n Kru e g e r Kynast Bey e r and Zink e l

, , , , ,

wh e n t h e y w er e in somn ambulic sl e e p som e tim e s our

conv e rsation was s e rious about somnambulism so m e
,

tim e s it was jocos e turning on such qu e stions as inte

,

10
 21 8 SO MN AMB U LI S M A ND CR AMP .

r e st young ladi e s an d th e y would tak e th e ir shar e in

,

t h e j o k e s as th o ugh th ey w e r e in th e ir natur al condi

,

tion A strang e r coming in woul d n e v e r hav e sup

.

pos e d th at any p e rso n was in an abn o rmal state .

Ind ee d Miss R e ich e l in somnamb uli sm ofte n w e nt

, , ,

fr om H i e tzing t o V i e nn a att e nd e d t o bus in e ss th e r e

, ,

and r e turn e d hom e al o n e through t h e thr o ng o f m e n

and wagon s in t h e capital .

F rom all this w e p e rc e iv e that somnambulists ar e

not lik e normal sl eep e r s in a dr e am o f m e r e ly imagi
nati v e id e as but that th ey form conce ptions judg
, ,

m e nts conclusion s In thi s r es p ect so m nam bulism is

, .

s trongly di s tinguish e d from normal sl e e p .

160 . Atte nti o n in n am bulism — It is w e ll

s om

kno w n that atte ntion is absolute ly n e c e s s ary t o t he

formation o f s e nsuou s c o nc e ption Thu s i t happ e ne d .

that s oldi e rs e ngag e d in b attl e hav e b e e n wound e d

and hav e n o t b e e n awar e o f it u ntil a comrad e would
call th eir atte nti on t o t h e flow o f blood : and w e all
kn o w that wh e n sunk in r e fl e cti on a tho us and thi ngs
ar e don e ab o ut us without o ur noticing th e m Thi s .

univ e rsal quality o f o ur mi nd shows i ts e lf also in s e n

s i t i v e n e s s and in somnambuli sm S om e e xampl e s of
.

my e x pe ri e nc e may be wort h y o f a plac e h e r e Wh e n .

s e v e ral p e r s ons visit e d Mi s s At zm an n s d o r fe r in som ,

n am bulis m s h e u sually notic e d no o n e sav e mys e lf and

, ,

h e r conduct was such that th e r e w as r e as o n t o b e li e v e

s h e did n o t p e rc e iv e t h e oth e rs at all But if I as k e d
.

h e r w h o w e r e with m e s h e woul d consid e r a littl e

,

whil e and th e n r e ply prop e rly It was ev id ent that .

s h e did n o t t urn h e r at t e ntion t o th e m until afte r I

as k e d and s h e th e n first r e cogni z e d th e ir pr e s e nc e .

220 SO MN AMBUL I S M A ND CR AM P

fri e nds And wh e n t h e p e rson fo r ins tanc e my

.
,

daught e r Otton e did n o t kn ow how t o go t o work

, ,

th e r e was no diffi cul ty o n that scor e fo r Miss R e ich e l

,

woul d at once e xplain to h er pr e cis e ly what s h e shoul d

do t o e ffe ct t h e awak e n ing G o to yond e r draw e r
.
,
“
s h e would say ,th e r e you will find a sto n e wr app e d
up in a pap e r ; hold it in your l e ft hand mak e e ight ,

pass es with it from my br e ast to my e y e s th e n four ,

pass e s sid e wis e from my e y es to t h e t e mpl e s and I ,

”
Shall awak e . This w as don e and t h e sl ee p e r call e d
, ,

back t o n o rmal con s cio us n es s by t h e s o r e t ic infl u e nc e

o f th e s e pass e s O p e n e d h e r ey e s and ofte n w as as t on
,

is h e d at t h e p o s ition in w hi ch s h e might find h e rs e lf .

g162 . Miss Atzm anns do rfer and h er lin en . Mi s s

At zm an n s d o r fe r had ord e r e d s om e lin e n garm e nts t o

be mad e fo r h e r o w n us e and th e y w e r e brought to
,

t h e ho us e at a W e wh en s h e was s o mnamb ul ic an d
hol ding a liv ely conv e rsati o n with m e I had t h e s ew .

in g giv e n t o h e r S h e e xpr e s se d much j o y at i t s r ec e ipt

.
,

but had s carc e ly look e d thr o ugh it b e for e s h e said

I must be awak e t o e xamin e th e s e things wak e m e
”
up do wak e m e I did so imm e diate ly by m e ans o f
.

u pward p ass e s and th e n it w as n e c e s s ary that s h e

Should be to l d ov e r again that t h e s e amstr e ss had

com e with s e wi ng for s h e had n o t t h e r e mo t es t r e co l
l e cti o n o f what had happ en e d whil e s he was s o m n am
bulic It was th e r e for e for t h e pur po s e o f b e ing abl e
.

t o s e e h e r work mor e cl e arly that s h e had anxious ly

d e s ir e d t o be awak e n e d Sh e was pe rfe ctly conscious
.

that s h e w as asl e e p and s h e kn e w from e xp e ri e nc e

,

that he r s e n s uous p e rc eption o f h e r lin e n would n o t

h e s o dis tin ct an d acc urate in that c o ndition as in t h e ,
 ME NTA L C OND ITI ONS OF SO M N AM BUL I S TS . 221

n ormal waking stat e It is scarc e ly possibl e that a

.

'

cas e s h o u l d occur mor e significant o f t h e Spiritual co n

dition o f somnambulism I hav e wak e n e d Miss K ru

.

g e r and Miss Blah u s ch s e v e ral tim e s in o n e day at

th e ir r e qu e st Mrs L e d e r e r would say It is n o w
. .
“

”
tim e fo r m e t o go hom e ; I mu s t now be awak e n e d ,

and as s he said s o it was don e He r consciousn e ss .

had continu e d cl e ar and k e pt m e asur e o f t h e tim e .

On o n e o f th e s e occasion s Mrs L e d e r e r wish e d to

.

Show what v ariou s conditions h e r s omnambulism would

o ffe r and s h e would pass from o n e t o anoth e r in t h e
,

c o urs e o f awak e ning In fact I saw h er th e n whil e r e

.

c e iv in g tw e nty fi v e upward pass e s from h e r physician

-
,

pass t h r Opg h four cl e arly distinct conditions Bu t .

v e ry cl e ar c o nsciousn e ss and d e finit e knowl e dg e o f

,

h e r dis e as e w e r e n e c e ssary t o e nabl e h e r t o point o u t

t o m e t h e v ariou s stag e s o f it s d e v e lopm e nt as if it
w e r e t h e r o lling of machin e ry At an o th e r tim e with
.
,

o u t any pr e vio u s conv e rsation in r e gard t o t h e matt e r ,

I wish e d to try wh e th e r I could awak e n Mrs L e d e r e r .

by placing mys e lf s il e ntly b ehind h e r chair Our lik e .

s id e s w e r e thus brought opposite t o e ach oth e r and ,

from thi s I e xp e cte d s he would be awak e n e d But s h e .

p e rc e iv e d my purpose and would n o t p ermit m e t o stay

th er e saying it would wak e h e r up S h e w as thus
,
.

cl e arly conscious o f w h at I was doing and w h at in ,

fliIen ce I would hav e upon h e r and dr e w h e r infe r enc e s

,

th e r e from Miss Kyn ast also d e mand e d t o be wak e d

.

up by m e in t h e dark chamb e r Miss At zm an n s .

dorfe r wh e n somnambulic instructe d my daughte r

, ,

Otto n e in t he art o f awak eni ng h e r in my a bs e nc e ;

s h e sh o uld mak e pass e s ov e r h e r e y e s and t e mpl e s as

is c us tomary It oft e n happ e n e d that Miss At zm an n s

.
222 SO MN AM BUL I S M A ND CRA M P .

dorfe r announc e d to m e t h e n e ar approach o f h er

spon tan e ou s wak e ning S h e was min ut e ly con s ciou s
.

o f t h e cours e o f e v e nts within h e rs e lf as th e y ripe n e d ,

at t h e e nding o f somnambulism Sh e would say I .

“

will soon awak e I fe e l it alr e ady in my st omach ; n o w

it is o n my br e ast n o w i t is o n my n e ck and wh e n it ,

com e s into my h e ad I shall be awak e and aft e r t h e

laps e of half a minut e s h e r e ally did wak e up Mi ss .

Z in kel ofte n r e qu e s t e d m e to wak e h e r up but s om e ,

tim e s wh e n I wish e d to do so s h e w o uld d e clar e it

, ,

pr e matur e and hurtful r e qu es t m e to abstain and bid

, ,

m e t o wait qui e tly until s h e should wak e up s po n t a

n e o u s ly Thi s sam e lady who of lat e has had only

.
,

short attacks of sl e e pwaking has minut e ly d e scrib e d ,

to m e h e r s e nsations in waking from w e ak s o m n am bu

l is m. A fe w doubl e pass e s giv e n h e r at h e r own r e
,

qu e st brought h e r to a dim consciousn e ss a kind o f

, ,

halfway position b e tw e e n sl ee p and waking as d e s cr ib ,

ed in Chap t e r F irst E v e ry succ e e ding pass ln

.

cr e as e d t h e cl e arn e ss o f h e r consciousn e ss and finally ,

s h e b e cam e ful ly awak e with op e n ey e s , but e v e n th e n ,

for about half a minute h e r h e ad is gid d y I hav e , .

oft e n obs e rv e d th is giddin e ss n o t only in Miss Zin ke l , ,

but also in Miss Kru e g e r who n e v e r notic e d m e imm e

,

d iat ely o n awak e ning but always rubb e d h e r ey e s for

, ,

a long tim e ; look e d with an air of discont e nt upo n \

t h e dark dim world and cam e to h e rs e lf only by d e

,

gr e e s Mrs L e d e r e r Miss e s R e ich e l At zm an n s d o r fer

. .
, , .

Be y e r and oth e rs act e d in t he sam e mann e r afte I

,

aw ak ing from somnam bulism .

163 l . i n ess o f s o m n am bul is m

T he c ear co ns c o us .

All the s e exampl e s and obs e rvations show that p e rsons

224 SO MN AMB ULI S M AND CR AMP .

t he str o ng e st ext e rnal irritations cuts burns and , , ,

nois e s d o not s uffic e t o awak e n t h e Sl e e p e r ; h e is s o

,

d ee p that t h e liv eli e st th o ughts d o n o t int e rrupt him

liv e ly m e ntal e xcit e m e nts can th e r e for e aris e h e can
s ustain th e m and th e ir str e ngth may induc e him t o
,

Sp e ak and ac t wi thout br e aking hi s sl e e p S o m n am .

bulis m th e r e for e app e ars in i t s physiologic al as w e ll

, , ,

as i t s psychical asp ects only as a d e ep e r kind o f Sl ee p

, ,

an d from thi s gr e at e r d e pth all t h e somn ambulic h e

p
n o m e n a hi th e rto obs e rv e d may b e s uffi ci e ntly e xplain e d .

165 . T ho ui ng.—
Wh e n I r ep e at e d to Mi s s Bey e r
in h e r normal stat e t h e word s which s h e had Spo k e n
to m e t h e pr evious day in so m nambulism an d s h e ,

h e ard th at s h e had th o u e d m e s h e bl us h e d At t h e , .

tim e o f o ur fir s t acquaintanc e s h e was almost e nti r e ly

ignoran t o f h e r conditi on in sl ee p wakin g and s h e w as -
,

n o t awar e that s h e addr e ss e d e v e rybody as thou Bu t .

all somnambulists with fe w e xc epti o ns d o this L ady .

Baron es s v o n S e ck e nd o rf said to m e i m m e diat e ly

wh e n I had made a p as s ov e r h e r right ha n d with a
“ ”
lik e c rystal pol e th o u hast lam e d my arm Mr
, . .

Kr ebs Mrs K ien e s ber g er Miss e s W e igand S t u r m an n

,
.
, , ,

N ow o tny Kyn ast Krug e r D orfe r R e ich e l Zin kel

, , , , , ,

At zm an ns d o r fer and Blahus ch and F ri e drich W e idlich ,

”
s aid thou t o e v e ryb o dy wh e n sl ee ping Miss G ir t ler
“
.

did t h e s am e making a fo rmal apology fo r it Mrs

,
. .

L e d e r e r was t h e only distinct e xc e ptio n : s h e said

S
’’
y o u [ ie in G e rman ] to h e r phy s ician and mys e lf .

Bu t h er physician tol d m e that s om e tim e s pr e v iously

/

wh e n h e at t e nd e d h e r s h e had thou e d him T h e ,

.

w ich e us e d was th e r e for e t h e r e sult of a

’
y o u h s h
Spiritual e d ucati o n in s o mnambuli s m aft e r long exp o
 ME N TAL COND ITI ONS OF SO MN AM BU LI S T S . 225

ricuc e wh e n I fir s t saw h e r s h e had outgrown s o m

,

n am bulic childh o o d wh e r e in e v e rybody is t h ou e d and ,

had d e v e lop e d h e rs e lf t o t h e conv e ntional languag e

“ ”
of you . Miss Wint e r had at tim e s p e culiar condi
tions of somnambulism in which s h e would addr e s s
o th e r p e rs o ns with yo u “ ”
. Bu t Mrs Joanna An
.

”
s chu e tz in t h e s am e conditi o ns always said thou to m e .

T h e thouing in sl ee p waking b e longs in t h e class e s

-

o f all thos e ph e nom e na in c o n s e qu e nc e o f which t h e

,

s omnambulists ,
lik e t h e s e n s itiv e s g e n e rally in t h e ir
,

whol e phy s i o logical b earing s tand som e s t e ps clos e r

,

t o natur e than non s e nsitiv e s o r rath e r ar e n o t so far

-
,

r e mo v e d from i t This clos e r e lationship to natur e

.

again c o incid e s with t h e d e pth o f s omnambulic sl e e p ,

in which t h e s ensitiv e s ar e farth e r r e mov e d from or di

‘
n ary life th an e v e r o ccur s in o the r cir cuxn s t an ces .
 226 SO M NAMB ULIS M AND CR AMP .

CH A P T E R XV I .

S TATE OF T HE M E M ORY IN SO M N AM BUL I S M .

§ 166 Reco ll ect i o n o f o ccurren ces d uri n g s l eep

.

w ak ing — Max Kru e g e r Miss e s Kynast R e ich e l Bla

.
, , ,

husch N o w o t n y Be y e r At zm an n s d o r fe r and Zin k e l

, , , , ,

Mrs L e d e r e r Mrs Kr e bs F ri e drich W e idlich and

.
,
.
,

many oth ers afte r awaking had not t h e sligh t es t r e

, ,

c o ll e ction o f anything that occ urr e d t o th e m during

somnambuli c sl ee p Wh e n th ey awok e whil e e ngag ed
.

i n sp e aking o r actin g th e y had not t h e slig h t e st id e a

,

from m e mory o f what th e y had just b e e n saying o r

doing T h is is t h e rul e with all somnambul ists and
.
,

h e nc e t h e common b e li e f that no o n e pr e s e rv e s any

r e coll e ction in his normal condition o f h is id e as and ,

doings in sl e e pwaking .

Bu t o n clos e e xamination I hav e n o t found thi s t o

be u niv e rsally tru e Mrs K ie n e s berge r told m e o n
. .

o n e occasion that a short tim e pr e viously wh e n s o m ,

n amb al le a numb e r o f p e opl e had stood about h e r and

,

had spok e n to h e r about many things s h e awok e and

was astonish e d to find so larg e a company about h er .

S he th e n told th e m t h e dr e am w h ich s h e had had and ,

th is suppos e d dr e am was noth ing mor e t h an t h e dim

r e coll e ction o f t h e e v e nts w h ic h h ad just be e n r e ally
o ccurring in t h e room I obs e rv e d som e thing similar
.

i n Miss Kru eg e r Whil e s h e was r e cov e ring from t h e

.

drows in e ss o f t h e s l ee p s h e said it app e ar e d t o h er as

,
228 SO M N AMB U LIS M AND CR AMP .

bu lis m , f rwards a partial r e coll ectio n

y t
e a te of t he
e v e n ts w o ul d aris e in h er mind .

167 . Differen t
t t Miss G irt ler s m em o ry
s a es o f
’
.

T h e somn ambulic sl e e ps o f Miss G ir t le r ar e p e c ul i ar .

Th ey ar e irr e gul ar in duration and afte r waking t w o , ,

conditions ar e p e rc e ptibl e : o n e in which s h e r e mem

b e rs nothin g that happ e n e d whil e Sh e was asl e e p t h e
o th e r in which s h e r e m e mb e rs e v e ryt hing as though

s h e h ad b ee n norm al ly awak e T h e first conditio n is

.

e v id e ntly that of most somn ambuli sts

; t h e las t s h e

consid e rs t o be a still high e r s pir itual state I r e gr e t .

that I hav e n o t had an oppo rtuni ty t o study t h e in t e

r e sting difl er e n ce more tho ro ughly and m us t co n te nt ,

mys e lf n o w with m e r e ly r e cordi ng t h e fac t h e re so ,

that it might not be lost for futur e in v es tigati o n in

cons e qu e nc e o f it s rarity .

168 . Mem o ry bette r in

nam bulism than in n o r
so m

m al co nscio us n ess —T h e co n s id e ratio n o f t h e s tate o f

.

t h e m e mory dur ing sl ee pwakin g its e lf is a po int o f ,

much psychological int e r e st E v e ry somn amb ul ist

.

r e coll ects all t he r ecords o f his m e mory as cl e arly as

if h e w e r e awak e yes h e r eco ll e cts th e m much mor e
, ,

cl e arly th an wh e n awak e What h e onc e kn e w an d

.

had forgotte n h e r e m emb e r s in s omn amb uli s m It is .

kno w n that somn ambul ists s p e ak to ngu es which th ey

d o n o t und e rstand wh e n awak e and if a cl o s e inv e sti
a t io n be mad e for t h e s o urc e o f th e ir knowl e dg e it
g ,

w ill be found that th e y k n e w th es e to ngu e s in early

y e ars but had forgotte n th e m in t h e cours e o f tim e
,

fo r t h e want o f pr actic e and it was suppo se d that

,

n o thin g r e main e d o f th e m in t h e m e mo r y Bu t th e .
 S TATE OF T HE M E M ORY IN SO M N AM BU LI S M . 229

tr ac e s o f th e s e languag e s though lost t o t h e norm al

,

m e mory still r e main e d in t h e mind and somnambuli s m

, ,

was pow e rful e nough to ra i se th e m again to cl e ar

consciousn e ss t o giv e th e m fo r a short tim e th e ir lost
,

fr e shn e ss t o fill th e m with a n e w glow F rom this it

,
.

s ee ms probabl e that t h e s omnambulic sl ee p has a b e tte r

m e mory than n o rmal waking Bu t w e find som e thing .

just lik e this in common normal dr e aming for in s tanc e ,

I cannot call back cl early to my m e mory t h e fe atur e s

o f my d e c e as e d wife w h o di e d about tw e nty y e ars
,

ago n o matte r how much I striv e t o d o s o Bu t wh e n

, .

I think o f h e r in dr e ams h e r pictur e r e app e ars b e for e

m e and I p e rc e iv e it s o distinctly that all t h e e xpr e s
,

s ions o f h e r fi n e fe atur e s ar e vi sibl e t o m e in all th e ir

lov e lin e ss My m e m o ry th e r e for e is sharp e r and

.
, ,

s trong e r in d r e am than i n waking and th e r e for e this ,

quality b e longs n o t t o s o mn ambu lic dr e ami ng alon e ,

but t o all dr e aming It r e sts as is known upon noth

.
, ,

ing els e than t h e abs enc e o f all influ enc e s that might
disturb t h e m e mory by t h e num e ro u s s e nsuo us impr e s
s ions filling o ur minds constantly in ordinary life and ,

pr ev e nting us from going down to t h e d e ph t s o f o ur

consciousn e ss T he e xcl us i o n o f th e s e impr e ssions
.

giv e s oth e r id e as mor e forc e to t h e sl ee pwak e r and t o

t h e o rdinary dr e am e r and h e nc e th e ir mor e acute
,

m e m o ry .

169 . T h e ideas o f o n e s o m nam buli c lit fo ll o wed

up in t h e n ext —Anoth e r r e markabl e quality o f s o m
.

n am is that t h e sl ee pwak e r though h e has littl e

bu lis m , ,

o r n o r e coll e cti o n in his normal stat e o f what h e

th o ught did an d p e rc e iv e d wh e n somnambulic ye t

, , ,

h as n o t forg ot t e n fo r all s omnambuli s t s hav e a cl ear

23 0 SO MNAM B UL I S M A ND CR AMP .

r ecoll e ction whi l e in th e ir abnormal condition of all

, ,

that th e y e v e r did o r m e ntally p e rc e iv e d in th at state

,

and in o n e fit th e y follow up t h e labors and trains o f

,

id e as brok e n o ff by t h e e n d o f t h e pr e vious fit .

Miss N o w o t n y found in h e r writing d e sk a knit purs e

not quit e fini sh e d bu t s o far don e that s h e must hav e
,

sp ent se v e ral nights working at it Wh en normal ly .

awak e s he kn e w nothing at all about t h e origin o f t h e

purs e sav e by infe r e nc e ; s h e foun d it lying in h er
,

lock e d writing d e sk afte r s h e had b e e n be d ridd e n fo r

-
,
-

s om e tim e with illn e ss s h e must hav e work e d at it

;
r egularly night afte r night in somnambulism with a
d e finit e plan W h e n I spok e with Miss e s Re ich e l
.
,

At zm an n s d o rfe r and Kynast in somnambul ism th ey

, , ,

always kn e w e xactly what th e y had don e in pr e vious

fits of sl e e p waking what e xp e rim e nts had b ee n mad e
-
,

and who had tak e n part in th e m Miss Zink e l wh e n .

,

s omnamb ulic had warn e d m e o f dang e rs thr e at e ning

,

my life t o be plotte d by my e n e m i e s in 1 8 53 and

, ,

e v e ry tim e Sh e was somnambulic s h e cam e back upon

th e s e dang e rs wi th gr e at e arn es t n e ss and always r e ,

fe rr e d to w h at s h e h ad said o n pr e vious o ccasions .

I ofte n obs e rv e d in Miss e s Bey e r and S t urm ann al s o ,

that wh e n th e y b ecam e somnambulic th ey to o k up t h e ,

thr e ad o f thought brok e n by waking fr om t h e pr e vious

s le ep S inc e p e rsons in somnamb ulism r e m e mb e r at
.
,

t h e sam e tim e all th ey hav e don e in t h e normal co n

,

dition th e r e for e th e y poss e s s a rich e r m e mory than

, ,

wh e n awak e .

Bu t h e r e too sl e e pwaking shows an analogy with

, ,
-

O rd inary sl e e p for i t is w e ll known that th e r e ar e

,

many m e n w h o spin o u t th e ir dr e ams from night t o

n i g ht and ye t know nothin g of th e m wh e n awak e .
 23 2 SO MN AMB UL IS M A ND CR AMP .

171 . Uprigh tn ess an d van it y — S omnambulists

. ar e
e xtr e m e ly s e ns itiv e t o distrust of t h e ir hon e sty and
doubt o f t h e truth o f th e ir stat e m e nts Wh e n pe r .

s ons show that th e y ar e s uspici o us t h at t h e sl ee p

wak e r is trying t o d e c e iv e th e m th e r e is usually an ,

e n d t o e xp e rim e nts T h e somnambul ist hat e s tho se

.

who thus o fi en d hi m will hav e nothing mor e t o d o

'

with th e m and i s un willing to work wi th th e m T he

, .

s omnamb ul ic p e culiariti e s o f Mi s s G ir t le r brought a

n umb e r o f inq u isitiv e fri e nds t o s ee h e r Wh e n s h e .

l e arn e d that som e o f th e m susp e ct e d h e r conduct o f ‘

b e ing d ece itful s h e absolut e ly r e fus e d to admit an y

,

mor e v isi t ors h er fath e r had to clos e t h e d o o r against

e v e ry o n e and h e r physicia n with di fficul ty obtain e d
,

p ermis sion for m e t o s ee h e r I hav e known many .

similar exampl e s On t h e o th e r sid e I hav e always

.

found th e m as s ensitiv e to t h e l e as t dishon e s ty

practi ce d u po n th e m by oth e r p e rs o ns An activ e .
,

e asily o ffe nd e d s e n s e for hon e sty and morality mor e ,

e xalte d than that ordinarily foun d in t h e world al ,

ways gov e rns th e m W e hav e s e e n that Miss Zin kel

.
,

in somnambuli sm disapprov e d so much of an in s ign ifi

,

cant violation o f uprightn e ss in h e r normal stat e that ,

s h e compla in e d t o m e o f h e rs e lf Bu t if w e shoul d
.

conclud e from this t h at t h e somnambulists ar e all thus ,

and that non e hav e b e e n ruin e d by fate w e shoul d ,

commit an e rror o n t h e oth e r sid e I hav e ind ee d .

known som e somnambulists w h o did not h e sitate to

Op e nly say what th e y kn e w to be fals e but I hav e
not m e ntion e d th e ir nam e s in thi s tr e atis e and I hav e ,

g e ne rally avoid e d th e m
fi h e y how e v e r w e r e fals e
.
,

o n ly wh e n dishon e st physic i ans le d t h e m on t o fortun e

,

t e lli n g and to m e dical q uack e ry wh e n th e y had to ,

 S TAT E or T HE M E M ORY I N SO M N AM BUL I S M . 23 3

avail th e ms e lv e s o f t h e stupidity o f oth e rs w h o w e r e

to be us e d as to o ls o r dup e s
’

/
Wom e n do not giv e up th e ir innoc e nt littl e vaniti e s
in somnamb u lism Miss At zm an n s d o r fe r kn e w that
.

I dislik e d all nightcaps S carc e ly had s h e l e arn e d my

.

tast e in this matt e r wh e n I o bs e rv e d that if I surpris e d ,

h e r lying ill and somnambulic in be d h e r fir s t act was

alway s t o t e ar o ff h er nightcap hurri e dly and hid e it ,

b e for e m e und e r t h e be d so that I should n o t s ee h e r

in it Miss G ir t le r in sl ee pwaking w as alw ay s car e
.
, ,

ful t o k e e p h e r l o ng and b e autiful hair in go o d o rd e r .

On o n e occasion this s am e lady whil e s omnambulic , ,

s pok e with much int e r e st o f t h e c e r e m o ni e s of t h e

approaching Corpus Christi day which s h e wish e d t o ,

att e nd and s h e was full o f curiosity ab o ut t h e n ew

an d b e autiful bonn e t s h e was to r e c e i v e that day from

t h e mantua— mak e r T h e conduct o f L ady Baron e ss

.

v o n S e ck e ndorf w as mor e s tudi e d in s l ee pw aking

than wh e n normally awak e Miss e s Bey e r W eigand .

, ,

R e ich el and S t ur m an n all sp o k e pur e r G erman in s o m

n am bulis m and Mis s W e igand s pok e with s tudi e d
path o s This oth e r littl e things s how e d t he na t ur al
.

womanly d e s ir e in s omnambuli s m t o pl e as e
, , .

V anity is always a littl e liar ; it l e a d s u s t o claim

m e rits to which w e ar e only half e ntitl e d Bu t whil e .

it gi ve s u s a n ew evid e nc e o f t h e cl e arn e ss o f co n
s ci o u s n e s s in sl e e pwaking it also s h ows us that som
,

n am bu lis m ,
although doing homag e to a high e r u p
rightn e ss o n o n e sid e is not e ntir e ly fr e e on t h e oth e r
, , ,

fr o m t h e w e akn es s e s o f s elfis hne s s and untruth .

 23 4 SO MN AMB ULI S M AND CR AM P .

CH AP T ER XV II .

THE N ATUR E OF SO MN AM B U LI S M .

1 72 . n egative and po sitive od —We

(to -exis t ent .

hav e s ee n ( in chapt e r 111 ) that somn amb uli s m is an o d

n egati v e and cramp an o d positiv e c o ndi t i o n We
,
-
.

th e n dr e w t h e c o nclusi o n that t w o state s so diam e tri

call y O ppo site t o e ach o th e r coul d co exi s t s im ult a
,
-

n eo u s ly in o ur organism o nly by v irtu e o f t h e fact ,

th at t h e p o sitiv e and n e gativ e forms o f o d may m e e t

with o ut d e stroying o r n e utralizin g e ach o th e r T hat .

this actually is t h e cas e I hav e cl e arly shown in man y

,

plac e s: And that this may and oft e n is t h e cas e in

t he h u man body is abun dantly shown by t h e s o m n am
,

bulic ph e nom e na whi ch I hav e r e cord e d o n e aft e r

anoth e r .

Common s l ee p b e gins by t h e ab andonm e nt o f all

m ental acti v ity with a qui e t forg etting o f e v e rythin g
,

th at occupi e d t h e att e ntion and a ctivi ty o f t h e mind

through t h e day T h e spiri t ual an imal life c e as es and
.
,

its plac e is occupi e d by t h e un consci o us n e gativ e T h e .

forward p art o f t h e brain sinks into r es t If t h e .

mind is fill e d with car e anxi e ty mis e ry sorrow ang e r

, , , , ,

lov e or any m e ntal ac ti v i ty s l ee p is driv e n away ;

, ,

t he irritat e d c e r e brum r e fus e s t o go to r e s t t h e spirit

ual activity will n o t giv e plac e t o t h e v e g e tati v e and ,
 23 6 SO MN AMB ULI S M AND CR AMP .

awok e until s h e had fift ee n o r tw enty pass e s I saw .

Mis s L e d e r e r r e c e iv e about thirty pass e s b e for e wak

ing It follows that t h e influ e nc e Of all t h es e upwar d
.

pass e s giv e n b e for e waking was pr e s e rv e d in t h e ,

brain alt h ough t h e p e rson was n o t ye t awak e Whil e

, .
,
’
th e r e for e t he somnambuli st s conditi on o n o n e side
, , ,

un d e r c e rtain n e gativ e influ e nc e s was n em e t ic h er , ,

conditi o n o n t h e o th e r s id e d e riv e d from t h e pas s es

, , ,

w as s o r e t ic both e xisting t o g e th e r in full s o m n am bu

,

l is m . We th e r e for e discov e r h e r e t h e important fact

that in a se nsitiv e and so m namb ul ic p e rson both co n
, ,

d it io n s can e xi s t tog e th e r— that which cr e at e s som

n am buli sm and that whi ch in duc e s cramp t h e n em e t ic ,

and s o r e ti c t h e o d n e gativ e and t h e o d po s iti ve

,
- -
.

1 74 . Why s leepwalk ers c am l ber o ut o n roo fs .

Thi s furn i sh e s us th e n with a key t o t h e explanati o n

, ,

o f t h e mo s t compl e x ph e nom e na o f somnambulism I .

s hall r e fe r t o a fe w o f th e m A s e nsitiv e p e rson oft e n

.

b e cam e s o mnambulic but r e main e d in h er be d S u d

,
.

d enl y it was obs e rv e d that s h e aros e w e nt o u t o f t h e ,

wind o w and took dang e r o us walks o n t h e cornic e o f

,

t h e h o us e .Thi s was Miss S t ur m an n in F e rdinand ,

s tr e e t ,
V i e nna S o with L ady Baron e ss von N atorp
.

s h e r e ma in e d constantly in h e r chamb e r but n n ex ,

p e ct e d ly h e r n ight gown was foun d in t he hall T h e .

m e mb e r s o f t h e R ain e r family w e r e un e as y e v e ry night

at c e rtain hours What kind o f t im e s w er e th es e fo r
.

all th e s e s en sitiv es ? It was wh e n t h e full moon and

i t s o d positiv e ray s influ e nc e d t h e m and mad e th e m
-

activ e Whil e th e y w e r e in a pr e dominating Od n e ga

.
-

tiv e co n dition t h e mo o nshin e had an o d positiv e e fl ect

,
-

u po n t he wh ol e h ous e and its occupants T he influ e nc e .

 T H E N ATUR E OF SO M N AM BU LI S M . 23 7

upon t h e s omnamb u lists w as not strong eno u gh t o

disturb th e m Affe cte d by t h e ligh t fi n e Od positiv e
.
-

influ e nc e s th e ir brains w e r e e xcit e d t o activity Th e y

, .

aros e from th e ir b e ds and sinc e th eir condition w as ,

’
mainly o d n e gativ e and t h e moon s rays o d positiv e
-
,
-
,

t h e s e nsati o n was agr ee abl e and h e nc e t h e untam e abl e ,

longing of somnambulists t o g e t into t h e full glar e of

t h e moonshin e ; h e nc e als o t h e singular clamb e ring
upon roofs which has n o oth e r purpos e than to g e t
,
’
wh e r e t h e moon s rays will stri k e t h e s l ee p e r without
obstruction and wh er e t h e light can also be s ee n o n
,

s urrounding obj e cts Mis s S t ur m an n wh en s o m n am

.

buli c said to P rofe ssor Lippich with a kind o f d elight

, , ,

that m o onshi n e w as an e nj o ym e nt t o o d ee p t o be ,

d e scrib e d by any w o rd s W e laugh e d at t h e s ing ular .

e arn e s t n e ss o f t h e s l ee p e r b e cau s e w e di d n o t th e n ,

( July 1 8 4 4 ) und e rstand t h e m e ani n g Of h e r e xpr e ssions

but th eir pr o found m e aning is n o w as inte lligibl e

175 . Weak s o ret ic

n g activity irritati o n s caus i .

W e ak o d positiv e o r s o r e t ic irritations e xcite t h e s e n

-

s i t iv e s as I hav e s ho wn Wh e n Mis s e s Blah u s ch

,
.
,

At zm ann s d o r fer R upp and oth e rs b e gan t o g e t drowsy

, ,

in my dark chamb e r a singl e upward pas s su ffi c e d t o

,

driv e away th e ir s omn ol e ncy Bu t if I gav e th e m .

mor e pas s e s than w e r e n e c e ssary t o k e e p th e m awak e ,

I cr e at e d a fee ling o f un e asin e s s h e adach e s tomach , ,

ach e unc o mfortabl e warmth and finally cramp s

, , .

S imilar s e nsations ar e mad e wh e n upward p ass e s ar e

mad e o v e r a s omnambulic s e nsitiv e as w h e n h e is ,

e xp o s e d t o any o d positiv e influ e nc e s -

In simpl e .

s omnambulism h e sl ee ps qui e tl y ; but wh e n w e ak o r

23 8 SO MN AM BUL I S M AND CR AMP .

m od rat
e e o d-
p o sitiv e and s o r e t ic influ e nc es affe ct him ,

th e y d o n o t wak e him u p hi s sl ee p is so d ee p that as

s e nsuous irritations will n o t awak e n him s o n e ith e r ,

will slight odic irritations He sl ee ps but n o t s oundly .

,
.

As a h e alth y man with an ov e rlad e n s t omach sl e e p s ,

though in a r e stl e ss mann e r so a s e nsitiv e in s o m n am ,

bul is m continu e s to sl e e p but u n e asily wh e n mod e rat e

,

s o r e t ic infl u e nc e s ar e at work o n him He b e gin s t o .

Sp e ak aris e s from his be d walks about and n o w be

, , ,

c o m es a sl e e pwak e r This r e stl e ssn e ss may be induce d

.

by caus e s appar e ntly t h e most in s igni ficant s uch as ,

lying with t h e he ad t o t h e w e st ; t h e proximi ty o f a

wall t o t h e back o f a s l ee p e r lying o n hi s right Sid e
t h e proximi ty o f a sto v e a p e rsist e nt s o uthw e st win d ;
t h e light o f t h e full mo o n ; a d o g o r cat lyi ng n e ar t h e
fee t a larg e l o oking glass a piano and a tho usand ,

o th e r littl e circums tanc e s o f which nobody thi n ks in

o rdinary life Th e y e xcit e t h e o d n egativ e s o m n am

.
-

bulis t p o sitiv e ly and incit e hi m to activi ty with o ut

,

br e aking his d e e p s l e e p M e ntal e xcit e m e nts O pe rat e

.

in t h e sam e mann e r A somnambulist whil e asl eep

.

cr e ate s ide as if his mind fix e s i t s e lf o n car e anx i e ty , ,

dang e r d e s ir e s o r passi o n s t h e corr e sponding

, , ,

thoughts aris e in his mind and e x erci s e an o d p o si -

tiv e infl u e nc e o n his brain as I hav e hi th e rt o ex ,

plain e d E ve ry m e ntal agi tation arising in t h e brain

.

op erat e s upon it lik e an upward pass ; it d o e s n o t

wak e him up but imp e l s him t o action which th en
, ,

tak e s pl ac e if t h e sl e e p be n o t brok e n T h e s o m .

n am bul is t s work talk laugh w ee p writ e lov e l e tte r s

, , , ,
-

and po e ms s e nd for ph ysicians w alk o ut o n roofs go

, , ,

o ut bar e foot into t h e snow ; th e ir e xte rnal s ens e s

ar e to tally without fee ling sl ee p hold s th e m captiv e
 ’
244 TR A NS LAT OR S APPE ND IX .

all be en sol ve d an d harmoni ze d by a re ferenc e to some o n e

p ervad ing p r inc ipl e and sh oul d thus be le d to surmi s e t hat
,

t h e i rre g ular i ty and var i at i ons o f t h e M e sme ric worl d ma y

be found u p on mature obs e rvat i on l e ss i nex pli cabl e t h an a
, ,

carel ess s pe ctator coul d i mag i ne — Rev C E T o w n s /l end . . .

“
In every cas e t h e bol dn ess an d acute ness whi ch l ead a
man to ta k e n e w vi e ws Of a su bj ect and to combat anc i e nt
p rej ud i c es are i n hi s favor T here i s an innate consc i ousne ss
.

att endant on c o rrect Obs ervat i on which u ph ol ds hi m an d

,

e ncourag e s h im to war with t h e worl d T he sudde n li gh t .

th at h as struck him is li k e a l i gh t from h eaven and bring s ,

convict i on to hi s h eart His eye s are not d e l uded but shar

.

p ened by d es i re N0 oth er person can h ave th at i nt i mat e

.

z eal th at int erest i n t h e inqu i ry which urges hi m onward

,
.

His all is at stak e and cons eq ue nt l y no o n e i s so stri ct wi th

,

hi m as h e i s wi th hi msel f W ho can comp are t h e cursory

.

an d p art i al v i ews o f t h e gr e at body o f man k ind wi th hi s ?

We may c all hi m a vis i onary or a h e re tic bu t rememberi ng ,

t h e s l ow bu t c e rta i n tr i ump h o f Harvey an d G alil e o w e ,

Sh oul d b e caut i ous h ow w e brand h im wi th e pi th e ts whi c h

may reco i l u p on ours e l ve s ”
T o wns hen d Boo k I see 2
.
, ,
. .

“
W he n w e k no w th at th ere i s a med i um p erme at ing i n
o n e or oth er o f i ts forms al l substanc e s wh at ev e r and t h at
, ,

thi s med i um i s em inent ly ca p abl e o f e xc i ti ng sensat i ons o f

l i gh t wh en w e tak e thi s in conj unct i on wi th a h e i gh tene d
,

s ens i bi li ty i n t h e p erc ipi en t p erson rendering hi m aware o f

,

i mpul se s wh ereo f w e are not Oogni zant w e are no l ong e r ,

i ncl ined t o deny a fact or su pp os e a miracl e —Ih III 4

_
.
”
. . .

IS not vi s i on as Newton says p erforme d chi e fl y t hrough

‘ ’ ‘
, ,

t h e v i brat i ons o f thi s me d i um e xc i t e d in t h e bottom o f t h e

,

e ye by t h e rays o f l i gh t an d p ro p a g at e d t h roug h sol id p e l

, ,

l uc i d and uni form capillam e n t a o f t h e o p t i c n e rve s i n to t he

pl ac e o f se nsati on And i s not h e aring pe rforme d by t he
.

v i brat i ons o f t hi s or o f som e oth er m e d i um e xc i te d in t h ,

e

aud i tory ne rve s by t h e tre m ors o f t he a i r an d p rOpag at e l ,

t
 ’
TR A NS LAT OR S APPE ND IX . 245

through t he so li d p e ll uc i d an d un i form capillam e n t a o f those

nerves i nto t h e pl ace o f se nsat i on ? An d S o o f t h e oth e r s e n
s es.
’
Adm i t thi s an d t he my ster i e s o f s e nsat i on in s l ee p
,

waki ng stand reveal e d W he n onc e w e s e e cl earl y ( an d s e e .

w e must if w e cons i de r nature ari g h t ) t h at t he com m un i e s

, ,

t i on be tween al l p ort i ons o f t h e u n i ve rs i s cont i nuo us an d

incapabl e o f i n terru p t i on—that th ere i s a pe rvad ing me d iu m
fi lli ng all things p ermeat i ng all—t he extende d S ph ere o f
,

mesmeri c facul t i e s appe ars no l ong er m iracul ous Ih III 4 .

” -
.
, .

P ro d d ct ive o f t h e e ffe cts cal l e d mesme ri c th ere i s an

“
,

act i o n o f matter as d i st i nct as th at o f l i gh t h eat or e l e c ,

‘
t ricit y or any oth er o f t he i mp ond erabl e ag e nts as th ey
’
, ,

are ca ll e d
”
1b I V .
-
.

“
It s eems to m e there i s every re aso n to beli eve that t he
p r incipl e o f me smer i c act i on i s a d i sturbance o f e q uili bri um ,

an d th at t h e m e c han i ca l e ffe cts may be e x pl a i ne d by differ

e n ce s Of p os i t i v e an d ne g at i ve of
p lan a n d m i nds i n t h e , ,

m esmeri z er an d t he p at i ent —1 b I V .
”
. .

E A o n e o f T o w nsh end s m e sme r i c subj ects who pe r

”
“ ’
. .
,

ce ive d t hing s by t h e fore h e ad wou l d occas i ona ll y r e c e iv e ,

i n format i on re l at i ve to externa l obj ects by t he bac k o f hi s

h e ad t h e s ide or t h e to p ; but he se l dom d id thi s S pontan
,

e o u s ly an d w oul d a l w a y s say i t w as a g re at e ffort an d d i d

,

him h arm — 1b III 3 .

,
.

“
Anna M was ve ry s ens i t i ve to any touch o n h er fore
.
”

h ead th ough a pparentl y d e ad to fe eling e l s e w he re — l b

,

Ammoni a at h e r nose had n o e ffect b u t pl ac ed to he r ,

fore h e ad m ad e he r dra w bac k w i t h afl e c t e d res pi rat i on an d

’

moreove r e xhi bi t ac t i on i n t h e musc l e s o f t he n o s e whi c h ,

l ast c i rcumstance mor e s p ec i all y adds to t h e pre sum p t i on

e

th at t he e xt e rna l i m p ac t i n a ll me sme r i c e as e s th ough be

, ,

g i nn i ng at an unusu al p o i nt i s fi nally trans fe rre d to t he ,

accustom e d n er ves o f s e nsa t i on —Ih .

A l ady to l d C II T t h at wh e n he r d aughte r was in a .

catal e p ti c fi t S il l l l h e l onl y at t h e
p i t o f he r i : n
‘
t t Ul l ; s n n t
 ’
246 TR ANSL AT OR S AP PE ND IX .

and once wh en he r daugh t e r stand i ng in t he mi ddl e o f a

morni ng bath was tak en wi th a fi t t he moth er ca lle d to her ,

in va in t ill s h e h e l d h e r mouth c l os e to t h e wat er and ca ll ed

, ,

wh en s h e was rous ed from h er cata l e p sy as s he usuall y w as ,

wh en s he was call e d so th at s h e coul d h e ar — Ih . .

E A wi th his eyes shut was able to r e ad t h e small es t

“ ”
. .

typ e —1 b .

“
E A pl ayed a pi ec e o f music which h e h ad n eve r see n
. .
”

b e fore from a boo k pl ac e d at some fee t from hi m

, .

Once wh en me smeri ze d and le d to a pl ac e wh e re h e h ad

nev er be en h e d escri bed i ts feature s p ro p erly and t h e form
,

and pos i t i on o f t h e d i stant mountains .

His power o f vis i on or p erceiv i ng obj ects whi ch w e pe rce ive

only by vis i on was strongest i n his foreh ead but app eare d
, ,

to re s i de i n all p arts o f his h e ad .

W h en a s e t o f co l ored eye g l ass es were given to him h e -

,

ra i s e d a bl ue o n e to his foreh ead and sai d everyth ing l ook s ,

“

b l ue to m e and h e name d t he t ints o f t h e oth er g l ass es

”
.
,

T h e em i nent D r F o issac o f P aris was wi tne ss on this o c

.
, ,

cas i on .

E A had two thi c k towe l s over his h e ad and re achi ng to

. .

his hip s and st ill was abl e to read h o l d ing t h e book Oppos i te
, ,

hi s for e h ead Th e s e towe l s i m p eded hi s p ower o f v is i on

.

somewh at b u t h e coul d st ill re ad .

He coul d t ell a card hi dden behind a boo k .

S ome t i mes I pl ac ed a card i n a boo k wi t h hi s fi nger i n ,

h ol d i ng t h e boo k sligh t ly Op en wh ere t h e card was E A . .

to l d t h e card If t h e boo k we re cl os ed h e cou l d not te ll i t

. .

S om etimes h e sa i d h e coul d s e e th rough t h e boo k ; some

t imes h e sa i d that h e s aw by v i brat i ons o f a med i um whi ch
coul d turn corners S ome t i me s when h e found i t d i ffi cu l t to
.

t el l a card h e woul d as k to bre ath on i t

I was i ncl i ned to i mag i ne that t h e whol e n ervous sy st e m
o f E A S h are d so m e thi ng o f t he p e rc ipi e nt facu l ty m un i
. .

fe s t e d more par t ic ularl in hi s h e ad v .

 ’
248 TR A NSL AT OR S AP PEND IX .

if t h e p at i ent ex p er i enc es s ensat i on i t must be by som e o t h er ,

th an t h e usual mod e s o f n ervous act i on —Ih .

”
.

Anna M sa i d : In t h e m e smeri c stat e I h ave onl y o n e

.
“

mode o f knowi ng things ; and wh eth er I s e e th em sme l l t he m ,

or fe e l th em i t i s a ll t h e sam e — 1b 3
, . .

T he Se er e ss o f P revorst sa i d I can fi n d wh atever I w ill ,

“

u p on my pl at e w i th t h e s p oon ; I k no w we l l wh e re i t i s ; but

I cannot te l l wh e th er I s e e or fe el i t ; and so wi t h regard t o

"
all other obj ects ; I k now not wh e th er I s ee or feel them .

In t he l i tt l e I h av e se en I h ave ye t s een a p at i ent wal k

,

about w ith he r eye s shut and wel l bl inde d be s i d es h olding, ,

t h e k nuc kl e s o f o n e h and before h er as a s ee ing lant e rn .

D r . Her m an M ayo .

D r Mayo stat e s that at hi s sugge st i on h e doe s not say

.
,
“ ”
,

whe ther in hi s pr es enc e pre s ent ed cards to t he n ew v i sual

,

organ o f a young lady in a tranc e not look ing at t h e cards ,

hi ms e l f or k nowing wh at th ey were t ill after w ards and s h e

, ,

to l d the m corr e ct l y .

D r Mayo re l ate s on t h e auth or i ty o f a Mr J W W il l i am

.
,
. . .

son o i W i c kham s everal cases o f p ersons entrance d wh o

, , ,

cou l d s e e wi th t h e back o f t h e h e ad and wi th t h e fing ers .

D r D elpi t i ns p e ct i ng phys i c i an o f t h e wate rs at B areg es

.
, ,

s tat e s t hat a young l ady o f t hi rt e en was subj e ct to be i ng ,

e ntranc ed and in th at stat e cou l d not s ee wit h h e r ey es bu t

, ,

coul d re ad by pl ac in g he r fing ers on t h e l e tt e rs .

Baron d e F ort i s r ecords t h e cas e o f a somnambuli st s er .

vant g i rl wh o wait e d at t h e table at A ix wi th h er ey es sh ut

-
,

an d s aw with h er fi ng ers t h e p alm o f h e r h and and h er e l

,

bo w .

D r Mayo says th at in 1 8 3 8 h e saw i n t h e p ossess i on o f

.
, ,

Mr Bul t e ll l etters fro m an e m inent p rovinc i a l phy s i c i an o f

.
,

E ngl and d e scr i bi ng a p e rso n wh o was som et i m es entranc ed

, ,

and t h en h er s ens e s were not in t h e pro p er organs bu t t h e ,

bit o f t h e stomac h wh o coul d s e e o bj e cts at a d i stanc e

, ,

t hrough wa l ls and h ouse s coul d read t h e t hough t s o f othe rs

,
 r as m ro a s
’
A PPEND IX . 249

far or ne ar coul d fore se e future events coul d s ee he r o w n

, ,

i ns ide ill um i nat ed an d coul d t e ll wh at was wrong in t he

,

heal th o f others Mr B ul t el l exami ne d thi s p at i ent an d bore

. .

t e st i mony to t h e wonderfu l charact er o f h er p o w ers .

D r P e tet i n an e m inent c iv il and m ili tary phys i c i an o f

.

Ly ons i n a m e m o iral o n catal e p sy pu bl i sh e d about 1 7 9 0

, ,

records t h e cas e o f a y oung marr i ed woman wh o fe ll i nt o a

trance and in t hat cas e coul d not h ear at h e r e ar bu t h e ard
, ,

at t h e pi t o f t h e stomach s aw a ll thro ugh h e r body as if i t

,

were trans parent wi thout be ing to l d sa i d th at P e t e t i n had

,

a he adach e and fore to l d trul y i ts cours e and t erm inat i on ,

an d d i scov e re d and re ad a l e tt er whi ch h e h ad in hi s p oc k e t .

D r Pet e t i n al so re cords t h e cas e o f a young l ady o f L y ons

.

who whil e i n a trance brough t o n by t he fi ring o f cannon

, , ,

saw hi m fi ght i ng to drive away t h e revo l ut i onary t y rants ,

an d fore to l d t h e sad events o f t h e 29 t h S e p t i t h an d 8 t h ,

-

Of Octobe r 1 7 9 0 and t h e crue l p roscr ip t i ons issue d b

, , y t he
comm i tt e e o f P ubli c S afety .

D r P et e t i n and D r P rost r ecord t h e case o f Madame d e

. .

S a i n t P au l wh o was e ntranc e d and in th at p os i t i on s aw

,

thi ng s pass i ng at t h e d i stance o f quart er o f a m il e ( t h rou gh

int erp os i ng wall s an d hous es ) and r ead t h e th oughts o f per
sons abou t h er .

D r Haddoc k s c l a i rvo y ant subj ect in t he magne t i c sl e e p

.
’
,

as I [ D in G reg ory ] saw more than onc e coul d s ee p e rfe ct l y ,

wh at p ass e d be hi nd h e r h e r eyes be i ng c l osed ; or any t hing

,

pl aced in such a p os i t i o n th at h ad he r e y e s be en Op en s h e ,

coul d not have se en i t s h e coul d al so s e e ve ry o ften all t hat

p assed outs i de o f t he door and wh en I was th e re tol d us ,

h o w many s e rvants o f t h e h ot e l were li st en i ng at t h e door

i n h op e s o f h e aring wonders S he woul d a lso t e ll what w as .

do ing in t h e roo m a bove or be l o w h e r In short s h e fra .

q uentl y e xhi bi t ed cl ai rvoy ance in e v ery fo rm not onl y i n ,

thos e j ust ment i one d bu t al so in that o f se e ing p rin t s an d

p ictures sh ut u p i n bo xes Be s i de s s ee i ng vari ous i nstanc es
.

"
'I
ll
 ’
250 m ANSL Ar o n s APPEND IX .

o f d i rectcl ai r voyanc e I was abl e to sat i s fy mys el f th at D r

, .

H ad d oc k s ex p eri ments we re m ad e w i t h t h e g re at e t c are

’
s

an d j ud gme n t : th at h e w as p ar t zc ularly we ll ac qua i n t e d w i t h

t h e vari o us caus e s o f e rror an d confus i on ve ry c are fu l to ,

avo i d the m an d that i n s hort his accounts o f such e Xpe ri

,

m ents as I had n o t s e e n wer e ent i re l y trust w orthy — P r o .

”

eas o r Wm G ar t II C
f re o r
g y
. P a s e 44-
. .

Mrs Anna Cora Mo w att ( n o w Ri tchie ) was m esme r i z e d

.

duri ng ill ne ss W hil e m e smeri z e d s h e was a c l ai rvoyant

. .

S h e says :
“
I was annoy ed at be ing told t ha l I h ad Sp ok en done '

, ,

or wri tt en thi ngs o f whi ch I had n o recoll ect i on N ume rous .

p o ems wer e pl ac ed in my bands whi ch I was i nform e d I , , ,

h ad i mp ro vi s e d as r api d l y as t hey coul d be ta k en do w n t he ,

su bj ects hav i ng be e n g ven ha phazard by an y p ers on p re s ent

i
, .

It was no p art i c ul ar gra t ifi cat i on to be assured t ha t I had

never prod uc ed anything as good be fore N or w as it any .

conso l at i on to be tol d that i n s l e e p w a ki ng I was far more -

'

s ens i bl e more i nte r e sti ng an d mor e a m i a bl e t han i n my o r

,

d in ary stat e
”
.

He r re li g i ous doctri ne s in t h e mesmer i c stat e were those

o f S w e d en borg .

S h e coul d t e ll w h at h er m esmer i z er was e ating S he coul d .

re ad wr i t e an d work in t he d ark S he re cog n i z ed o bj e cts

,
.

hi dden in a h and k e rchi e f and h el d to h e r fore h ead .

S h e pred i ct e d corr e ctl y a s e v e re ill ne ss whi c h was to come

u pon her aft er some d ays and p re scri be d t he tre at m ent , .

T h e attac k w as a con ge st i on o f t he bra i n —IlIr s JV

’
Io w at l s /

Au t o biog r ap hy Oft , . 1X .

Isabe l la D wh en mesmeri z e d coul d h ear words w his ,

.

p ered o n t he furth er e n d o f a stri ng fi ft e e n y ards l ong o n e ,

e n d o f whi c h s h e h e l d in h er h and —L an g o n E ll es m er erm -

,

Ck V . .

T he Ch eval i e r
F ilippi o f M il an d octor o f m ed i c i ne and , , ,

a mos t det e rm ined Opponent o f me s me ri sm has acknowl edge d .

 ’
T R A NSL AT OR S APPEND IX .

t he nervous energy i s at t he bottom o f all t h e mesmer i c

s ymp toms h owev er prod uc ed whe th er naturally or art i
, ,

fi cially ; and I sus p ect t h e sam e e ffe cts may fo ll o w a stat e o f

ex h aust i on or r e pl e t i on o f t h e ne rvous s y ste m If I m i gh t .

ve nture o n so mat er i al an ill ustrat i on I sh ou l d say th at t h e

,

fi rst e ffe cts p roduce d in t h e syst e m by me s m eri s m may be ,

lik ene d to a r ive r roll e d back upo n it s sourc e by a he av i e r

bod y o f wat e r stagna
,
t ing i n i ts c hannel an d una bl e to re
sume it s natural cours e t ill t he Oppos ing t i de subs i d e s .

From a ll I h ave s e en I cannot but be l i eve th at t he re i s

,

an i n fl uenc e o f some ki nd that p asse s fro m o n e p erson to

another wh en o n e o f t w o p ersons i s mesmeri zed i n t he way
,

I h ave de scri bed th at i n fact th ere is a virtual trans fus i on

” —
o f some v i tal ag e nt from t he o n e body i n t o t h e oth er Dr . .

That [ i n t h e m e smeri c tranc e ] t he n e rvous s ens i bil i t y

h as re tre at ed from t he surface an d t he organs o f s ens e is ,

e v i d ent to al l obs ervers by t h e universal i ns ens i bili ty ; and

,

t h e cond i t i on o f t h e bra i n and muscu l ar syste m wou l d s e e m

to i nd i cate that they l abor under t h e e ffects o f thi s revul s i on .

T h e me ans use d to d e me sme r i z e p art i cul ar org ans and t h e

,

bra i n i tse l f app e ar to act by d e t erm i n ing t h e n ervous cur

,

rents bac k to t h e surfac e t here by re l i ev i ng t he d e e p er o r

,

g ans from t h e l oad th at Opp re ss e d t h em

”
]b .
-
.

Th at t h e m e smer i c torp or Of t h e nerve s and bra in do es

not ari s e from sang u ine conge st i o n is ofte n strikingl y and
be aut i full y ill ustrat e d by t h e act i ons o f p ersons sudd enl y
'

awo k e from t h e trance They Op en th e i r eye s wi de and at

.
,

t h e sam e mom ent th e i r facu l t i e s are restored bu t i t i s s ee n ,

th at t h e pu pil i s d il ate d an d i ns ens i bl e to l i gh t T hi s th e y .

a l so immedi at e l y become a ware o f; th e y k no w that th e i r

ey e s are Op en an d th at th ey oug ht to s ee b u t d o n o t
, , T he .

t hough t fill s th e m wi th h orror and w i t h a fearfu l cry they

,

bury th e i r fac e s i n th e i r ban d s lik e p e rsons struc k by l i g h t

 ’
T R A NSL AT OR S A PPEND I X . 253

n ing ; bu t thi s soon p ass e s Ofi and t he r et i na recovers its

’

s ens i bil i ty by a l i ttl e rubbi ng o f t h e e y e s — Ib .

”
.

I thi n k t h e p ower o f somnam bu l i sm to bri ng bac k to

t h e memory k no w l ed g e l ong l ost to t he norma l consc i ous
,

n e ss cannot be su ffi c i ent l y account e d fo r by t he me re re l i ef

,

o f t h e m i nd from d i stract i ng s ensuous i m p r e ss i ons and con

fl ict in g th oughts A s im il ar su p ernorma l acut eness o f m emo

.

ry h as be e n O bs erv e d in i nsan i t y d e l i r i um hi gh fev e r

, in , ,

p ersons whos e bra ins h ad been wound ed an d in p e rsons ,

und er t he i nfl uenc e Of h ash ee sh chl o ro form & c S eve ra l

, ,

g e nt l e m e n to wh om v e ry sudde n an d s er i ous acc i d ents h av e

h app ened h ave to l d m e that at t h e instant wh e n d eath s e em

,

e d to be a bout to str i k e t h e m th e y s aw e ve ry act o f the i r

,

l i ve s In a ll th e s e case s I i mag i ne that th ere must be a

.

rush o f bl ood to t h e bra i n an i ncreas ed menta l act i vi ty

, .

May i t not be th at e very imp r ess i on e ve r mad e in t h e m ind

i s re cord e d on t h e fi bre s o f t h e brai n and th at thos e records
,

not o ft en us e d fi nall y g e t dusty and a lmost o bli t erat e d and ,

t hat th ey can th en onl y be read wh en ill um i nat e d by an

e xtraord i nary fl ow o f bl ood ?

J . S . H
.