GIRL SOMNAMBULIST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 187, 2 May 1908, Page 10

GIRL SOMNAMBULIST.

' A\lilTES, l READS; AND; CEOGHETS j- ■' : i| 1 '<iy i WHILE ASLEEP. V; : J A' remarkable, who. • it-rite: in- the'.idarkness■ : 'is>-,told-; ' ''.in- tho . "British'-Medical ;'by;; ]) r; ... .James; Russell, MiA'., assistant, physician: toV .tlio' Birmiiigham: : General ' Hospital.'.':.' w-yl ■ 1'; r, ' The case came 'under his >notice' inv July, - :1907; when.'£girl, aged,'twentyr6he ; .years, was '-, s.enfc to ; the- hospitals complaining- of-.sloop-R- swalking. . She was a. typist). ® tteacher,-and- a 3: student. .of nuisic. ii-, '''TheT girl'-firstCcoramenced'. t-o ■ walk.'in. her, r; ilslobp after Iter 1 fath&v;'committed; suicide.by, • i shooting:himself; . A .' - 3- V.i '.Whon she : is : i sleep-walking she; does- many. •,'v "things. > Sheigots. out: ,o£:;bed'.' a.t'._abouti'l:3o. - '.'or;2 in'<the'''mohring. '."She:, does; not-seein to K 'be.-asleep,, but \she;has. no sense' of. her- sura : roundings, nor does .she-recognise: anyone.. 1 i . 11l tins condition she writes letters and. « postcards: in German, does, crocliet, ' worlc, jreads; a' book,'- and. studies: harmony.She )' docs- 'ail this. in. absolute.; darkness.. ,If, there' t ; ;is a. faint .' glimmer" from tho. gas. she- tak'esi 1'; her; .work, away, to the., darkest; cornerof; the. -. -.room: ■" : ■ l On; August: 17, 1907, ,saya:.Dr'.,Hincks, (the! 'house'physician' at;,the Birmingham.Hospital, - >:shff.sat;up in bedi-and did crochet-work; - She, 3 did' not talk) The ward .dark, except for. - jtwo: single, and' well-shaded; electric, lights..far. ; ''away:-from- the.bed. ; 'Then.' she.got; out'of' •, bed and, wrotp.a postcard, addressing-it.'to a, ~ tl -;rola-tion-;'in; Canada.' The.nexti'night-she-did moro'.crechpt work,. and!wrote a>letter,in.Ger-. put. it .in■ an envelope, and, : enclosed - a' ;sovereign..' ' -V - awoke the. letter: was shown: her..: Slip did not remembbr- writhigfit', .butreedgj nised'the'-address as correct. Dr. Hiucks, J asked, her. while she was: awake, to write, the, ' same .address undbr, the; same, conditions: of) light. This she could, not. do properly. Tho ■ .lines: all ran', into .each other. • • 1 - ■ A few. days: later; while in- a somnambuj,; fistic - state she wrote 'a',: short: letter -to her; '.music' teacher, ' and a short' essay on "The'.Sonata Eorm,": which was; perfectlyr'accurate 1 and intelligent. . y >; ' : \ She, has'. nbw: ieft: : tlie hospital and earns: , her- living as. ; a. typist, but she stilL has\occa--' ; jsional might- wanderings.. : Her,; eyes, havebeen, examined, but. the doctors have, been • ; unable-to-find out why she can. read. and .write *' |iri . the darkness) when; in: her normal conL ' '.dit-ion it is impossible for hw\ to. do so. •' : i .