NEW THEORY OF SLEEP.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 406, 18 February 1904, Page 6

NEW THEORY OF SLEEP.

Xarcotic Secretion in the . .-, Sy »«em. Thrown Into the Circulation Cause* the Phenomenon, What causes sleep? Very likely. ; iherc is not a of your acquaintance, who will be able; to tell you. As for the poets they have been offering explanations ever. since time began, but, tin fortunately,.; none of them is reasonable, says a scientific exchange. A rather startling theory lately ;iut forward by a young physiologist : s 'attracting considerable ■attrntion.; fliis student believes that a gland or certain glands in t lie system terete a narcotic snbstnnce; that this substance is. stored in the gland, cr •!lands until at definite times —r.mainly influenced J;y hain't and "'tiredness" of the individual:—it is thrown uko the circulation, and thereby causes the phenomenon of sleep. . gj Tliere is no "direc! evidence of tne correctness of this theory, but he refers to a lately discovered fact t'.at the urine of health secreted in waking hours always contain;; :i V ireciic substance, and he urges t~;is p-.iinl in support of his theory. The c:>:i:-( _he •

of such glands is difficult to denv, Sir T. iiam-er lima ton has pointed out that opium will keep a person awake if he wishes to be wskefa". ant!, conversely, wilt make him .'dee' if he wishes sleep—which would Seem to show.that sleep is in some measure under the control of the will. .

A Far-Traveled The Euglish papers rec.ru the recent completion by express ioe-.nnotive Xo. 1 of the Great Northern railwav of U.i four-miLiionth mile of travel, 'ihe engine was built at Doncas'ter more than JO years ago, and is still in activr *. ice. it has single driving wheel*, and was one of the first to be littetl with outside cylinders. Four lcKlidr n '.'., : .s is more than lit'/, times the riixiaaee between the earth and the moc-n, cr:i 100 times the circumference r-f lue earth. But the veteran Icconintiva would have to continue the saute a\»-.--age rati- of travel for about.7oo ye:, in order to traverse a distance.<equai to that of the sun from the earth. Soap ><t Sacks. Travelers in eastern Siberia carry soups in sacks. Ti-ey are frozen solid as stone, and keep indefinitely. Mill, also is frozen arid sold by ;he pound.