THE SLEEPING WOMAN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXL, Issue 6164, 9 January 1904, Page 8

THE SLEEPING WOMAN.

A con\epor,d£nt of ths London Daily Mail wnttii uuusr Jtonien, November lith: — 1 arrived this, afternoon at the pleasant little village oi Grauitiice, mar Bremen, which iiae now b:eome famous ac the- home of thj "sleeping woman" Gesine Meyer, who tias now awakened from her seventeen years' sleep. Before seeing Ueeine Meyer neitself, I had a iong conversation with ncr father, Jchann Mey-a , , who us mayor of the village, and his sou. in their quaint dialect thty told mc that Geeine, wlio is now fortythree years of age, fell Irom a cart in her seventeenth year. Shortly after this accident she complained of suffering from a severe headache, and then fell into a deathlike which lasted three months. After recovering consciousness she wes perfectly well, attended to, her usual household duties'acd helped in tha harvesting as if nothing had happened. For two years all went well. Then she again took to sleeping for considerable periods, interspersed by long intervals of normal habits. At last she went to sleep on December 17, 1886, and from that daie until Sunday last has slept without interruption —a period of seventeen year*. On Sunday a fire broke out in: the village and the alarm bells were rung. Scarcely Aad their harsh sounds penetrated the room where Gesine lay than she suddenly sat up in/ bed and called her fattier and brother by name. The surprise and pleasure experienced at her awakening, which resembled more a resurrection from death, may be imagined. Une of her first quesbions was about her mother, who had cued many years ago. On the sad news being broken to her she cried bitterly. Seeing her brother, who seventeen years ago had been doing his military service, standing by her side in civilian clothes, she asked him why he was not in uniform. On his answering that hs was now a married- man, and had long ago completed his military service, she appeared to be surprised. She was then, iboid that she had been asleep for seventeen years. "Why I thought I nad been asleeponly for one night," she replied. Geaine has no recollection of anything 'that lias happened during this kwg lapse of time. I was then introduced into the room where Gesine lay on a sofa. With her clear eyes she looked w&h curiosity at the numerous relatives and friends who stood around, her, congratulating her on her awakening. She recognised theim. all. Although somewhatpale" ehe looks perfectly well. Her ..breathing is irregular, but her voice sounds full and distinct. She was well nourished during her sleep, and willingly allowed hep, mouth to be opened, but if tiie food was r.ot \o her -taste sfo closed her teeth. Her β-ense of -smell was" especially well developed, and she knew immediately if a stranger , entered Ihe room. On the other hand, the sense of hearing and of speech completely disappeared during hsr unconsciousness. Severe thunderstorms, the noise occasioned in the house coueequent upon her brother's mar' ria-sje, all passed unnoticed. She was never El, and her digestion w&s Unimpaired. Since awakening, Gesihe is in great fear of again going to sleep. High medical authorities are baffled by this remarkable case, and great physicians frequently studied her illness, but failed to discover a remedy. Dr Pape, the fami'y physician, who had attended Gesino for many years, foretold her awakening and it is believed that- she awoke of her own accord and not through the sound, of tha bells ringing. The reason for htr long sleep is due, some affirm, to some disease of tlie nervous system, while others state that it is caused by the presence of a parasite called the filaria sanguinis hominis. The case has caused an immense sensation, and thousands have tried to see the "sleeping woman," bub only a few have been admitted.