The philosophy of sleep / by Robert Macnish.

  • Macnish, Robert, 1802-1837.
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The philosophy of sleep / by Robert Macnish. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    their real existence impossible, has shown them that the whole was a dream. Many a good ghost story has had its source in the illusions of nightmare. The following case related by Mr. Waller, gives a good idea of the strength of such illusive feelings. In the month of February, 1814,1 was living in the same house with a young gentleman, the son of a peer of the United Kingdom, who was at that time under my care, in a very alarming state of health ; and who had been, for several days, in a state of violent delirium. The close attention which his case required from me, together with a degree of personal attachment to him, had render- ed me extremely anxious about him ; and as my usual hours of sleep suffered a great degree of in- terruption from the attendance given to him, I was7 from that cause alone, rendered more than usually liable to the attacks of nightmare, which conse- quently intruded itself every night upon my slum- bers. The young gentleman in question, from the violence of his delirium, was with great difficulty kept in bed ; and had once or twice eluded the vi- gilance of his attendants, and jumped out of bed ; an accident of which I was every moment dread- ing a repetition. I awoke from my sleep one morn- inor about four o'clock—at least it appeared to me that I awoke—and heard distinctly the voice of this young gentleman, who seemed to be coming hastily up the stairs leading to my apartment, call-