1 line
No EOL
38 KiB
Text
1 line
No EOL
38 KiB
Text
{"id":25205,"date":"2022-10-27T11:00:12","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T15:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/?p=25205"},"modified":"2024-11-04T14:47:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T19:47:25","slug":"night-mares-in-the-stacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2022\/10\/27\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Night-Mares in the Stacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Nicole Baker ~<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For centuries, <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/000801.htm\">sleep paralysis<\/a> has afflicted people around the world. Known colloquially in English as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/699620\/\">old hag<\/a>\u201d syndrome, sleep paralysis has been given many names, but it is often believed to be caused by a malevolent creature from beyond the veil, attacking sleeping victims. Science has more recently attempted to explain this phenomenon as waking during REM sleep, when the body is naturally paralyzed to prevent it from enacting dreams. In this state of being partially conscious and paralyzed, individuals can also experience auditory and visual hallucinations. The term nightmare can be derived from the Middle English word \u201cmare,\u201d meaning a female evil spirit, thought to lie upon and suffocate sleepers. Throughout history, records of this phenomenon have included nightmare spirits that may take the form of an old woman, a black dog, or even, as in this scene by Swiss artist Henry Fuseli, an ape arriving on his ghastly steed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25220\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25220\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.JPG \"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"25220\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2022\/10\/27\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\/john_henry_fuseli_-_the_nightmare\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?fit=1480%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1480,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare\" data-image-description=\"<p>Henry Fuseli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>The Nightmare (1781). Oil on canvas, 101.6 \u00d7 127 cm (40.0 x 50 in). Detroit Institute of Arts<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?fit=300%2C243&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?fit=840%2C681&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-25220 size-large\" title=\"Oil on canvas, 101.6 \u00d7 127 cm (40.0 x 50 in). Original Held at Detroit Institute of Arts\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?resize=840%2C681&ssl=1\" alt=\"A woman lies on her back, head and shoulders hanging off the bed, an ape like creature sits on her chest and a horse's head looks on through a curtain.\" width=\"840\" height=\"681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?resize=1024%2C830&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?resize=300%2C243&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?resize=768%2C623&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?resize=1200%2C973&ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?resize=840%2C681&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg?w=1480&ssl=1 1480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25220\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">“The Nightmare” by Henry Fuseli, 1781 <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.JPG\"><em>Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This famous painting from Fusili’s vivid imagination was a sensation and has remained powerful and popular.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25217\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25217\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"25217\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2022\/10\/27\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\/fu%cc%88sslis-nightmare_101449084\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?fit=1498%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1498,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Fu\u0308ssli’s Nightmare_101449084\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Fu\u0308ssli’s Nightmare in Medical advisor and guide to health and long life, No. 9, 1824<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #101449084<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?fit=300%2C240&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?fit=840%2C673&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-25217 size-large\" title=\"Ninteenth Century Engraving Based on Fuseli's The Nightmare Painting\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?resize=840%2C673&ssl=1\" alt=\"A young woman has fainted and is lying over the edge of a bed; a devil is sitting on her lap, and a horse's head is peeking through the bed curtains.\" width=\"840\" height=\"673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?resize=1024%2C820&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?resize=300%2C240&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?resize=768%2C615&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?resize=1200%2C961&ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?resize=840%2C673&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Fu%CC%88sslis-Nightmare_101449084.jpg?w=1498&ssl=1 1498w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25217\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Engraving based on “<a href=\"https:\/\/dia.org\/collection\/nightmare-45573\">The Nightmare<\/a>” by Henry Fuseli in <em>Medical Advisor and Guide to Health and Long Life<\/em>, No. 9, 1824<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/101449084\"><em>National Library of Medicine #101449084<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fusili himself painted another version and there have been many derivatives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\\\/\\\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/27\\\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\\\/","likes_blog_id":"52242398"}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 840px; height: 408px;\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-original-height=\"408\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 339px; height: 408px;\" data-original-width=\"339\" data-original-height=\"408\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2022\/10\/27\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\/der-nachtmahr-2\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"335\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"404\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"25221\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"996,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"Freies Deutsches Hochstift \\\/ Fra","camera":"","caption":"Auf einem schmalen, niedrigen Bett schl\\u00e4ft liegend eine junge blonde Frau, Kopf und Arme nach hinten \\u00fcber die Bettkante gebogen. Ihre Bl\\u00e4sse korrespondiert mit dem gebrochenen Wei\\u00df ihres d\\u00fcnnen Neglig\\u00e9s und des Lakens, Spiegel und Toilettentisch am rechten Bildrand nehmen die T\\u00f6nung auf, ebenso der unwirkliche, gespenstischer Pferdekopf, der \\u00fcber der Liegenden durch einen Vorhang in den Raum dringt. Auf ihrer Brust hockt eine affen- oder katzen\\u00e4hnliche Gestalt, der sie der Mythologie nach qu\\u00e4lt und den Nachtmahr in ihre Tr\\u00e4ume einl\\u00e4\\u00dft. Fahles, bl\\u00e4ulichwei\\u00dfes Kolorit, gespenstische Wirkung.\\r\\rWerkverzeichnis: Schiff 1973; Weinglass 1994\\r-----\\rAuf einem schmalen, niedrigen Bett schl\\u00e4ft liegend eine junge blonde Frau, Kopf und Arme nach hinten \\u00fcber die Bettkante gebogen. Ihre Bl\\u00e4sse korrespondiert mit dem gebrochenen Wei\\u00df ihres d\\u00fcnnen Neglig\\u00e9s und des Lakens, Spiegel und Toilettentisch am rechten Bildrand nehmen die T\\u00f6nung auf, ebenso der unwirkliche, gespenstischer Pferdekopf, der \\u00fcber der Liegenden durch einen Vorhang in den Raum dringt. Auf ihrer Brust hockt eine affen- oder katzen\\u00e4hnliche Gestalt, der sie der Mythologie nach qu\\u00e4lt und den Nachtmahr in ihre Tr\\u00e4ume einl\\u00e4\\u00dft. Fahles, bl\\u00e4ulichwei\\u00dfes Kolorit, gespenstische Wirkung.\\r\\rWerkverzeichnis: \\rSchiff 1973.928","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"\\u00a9 Freies Deutsches Hochstift \\\/ Frankfurter Goethe-Museum \\u0026amp; David Hall ; Licence: RR-F (https:\\\/\\\/www.europeana.eu\\\/rights\\\/rr-f\\\/)","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Der Nachtmahr","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"A second Painting by Fusili, also titled Der Nachtmahr, 1790\" data-image-description=\"<p>https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Der_Nachtmahr,_F%C3%BCsli.jpg<\/p> \" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?fit=249%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?fit=840%2C1012&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?w=335&h=404&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?w=996&ssl=1 996w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?resize=249%2C300&ssl=1 249w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?resize=850%2C1024&ssl=1 850w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?resize=768%2C925&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Der-Nachtmahr_27160759405-1.jpg?resize=840%2C1012&ssl=1 840w\" width=\"335\" height=\"404\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"335\" data-original-height=\"404\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"A second Painting by Fusili, also titled Der Nachtmahr, 1790\" alt=\"A woman lies with her head and arms hanging off the bed, an implike creature with pointed ears sits on her chest and a ghostlike horse head hovers from between curtains in the background.\" style=\"width: 335px; height: 404px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> A second version by Fusili, 1790 Wikimedia Commons <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 501px; height: 408px;\" data-original-width=\"501\" data-original-height=\"408\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2022\/10\/27\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\/le-cauchemar_101434183\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"497\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"404\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"25218\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1382,1125\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Le Cauchemar, A Ninteenth Century Comic Interpretation Printed in Paris\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?fit=300%2C244&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?fit=840%2C684&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?w=497&h=404&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?w=1382&ssl=1 1382w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?resize=300%2C244&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?resize=1024%2C834&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?resize=768%2C625&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?resize=1200%2C977&ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Le-cauchemar_101434183.jpg?resize=840%2C684&ssl=1 840w\" width=\"497\" height=\"404\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"497\" data-original-height=\"404\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Le Cauchemar, A Ninteenth Century Comic Interpretation Printed in Paris\" alt=\"A woman lying in bed is visited by a nightmare in the form of demons; a small dog is curled up on her abdomen.\" style=\"width: 497px; height: 404px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Le Cauchemar (The Nightmare), lithograph National Library of Medicine #101434183 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25219\" style=\"width: 257px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"25219\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2022\/10\/27\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\/isbrand-diemerbrock_101412454\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?fit=1027%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1027,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Isbrand Diemerbrock_101412454\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Isbrand Diemerbrock, etching<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #101412454<br \/>\nNati<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?fit=257%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?fit=840%2C982&ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-25219\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?resize=257%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"An illustraton of a man with long wavy hair and a mustache.\" width=\"257\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?resize=257%2C300&ssl=1 257w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?resize=876%2C1024&ssl=1 876w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?resize=768%2C897&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?resize=840%2C981&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Isbrand-Diemerbrock_101412454.jpg?w=1027&ssl=1 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 257px) 100vw, 257px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Isbrand Diemerbrock, etching<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/101412454\"><em>National Library of Medicine #101412454<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18691361\/\">earliest written account of sleep paralysis with hallucinations<\/a> was published in 1664 by Dutch physician Isbrand Van Diemerbroeck, an accomplished physician and author who published on multiple subjects. His most popular book, <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma992364783406676\"><em>Tractatus de pest<\/em><\/a>, on the Black Death, was reprinted nine times and translated from Latin into both Dutch and English. The work was based on his experiences working in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huisvandenijmeegsegeschiedenis.nl\/info\/18_The_Plague\">Nijmegen<\/a>, the oldest city in the Netherlands, during the 1635 epidemic. Like many 17th-century people he believed the plague was a punishment dealt by God for sins of the people of the Netherlands.<\/p>\n<p>He was also known for his work on<a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma992364663406676\"> anatomy<\/a> and he attempted to assign an anatomical cause to the episodes of sleep paralysis he encountered. He <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma992364643406676\">related the case<\/a> of an otherwise healthy fifty-year-old woman who:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201c…sometimes believed the Devil lay upon her and held her down, sometimes that she was choaked by some great Dog or Thief lying upon her breast, so that she could hardly speak or breath, and when she endeavoured to throw off the burthen, she was not able to stir her members\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma992364643406676\">Diemerbroeck 183<\/a>).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25216\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25216\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"25216\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2022\/10\/27\/night-mares-in-the-stacks\/diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037r\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?fit=1594%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1594,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"1.85","credit":"","camera":"Pixel 6 Pro","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1666125581","copyright":"","focal_length":"6.81","iso":"42","shutter_speed":"0.005521","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>The anatomy of human bodies; comprehending the most modern discoveries and curiosities in that art, by Isbrand Diemerbrock, 1694<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #2332037R<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?fit=300%2C226&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?fit=840%2C632&ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-25216\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=300%2C226&ssl=1\" alt=\"A detail from a printed page, the paragraph titled "History of the nightmare."\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=300%2C226&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=1024%2C771&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=768%2C578&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=1536%2C1156&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=1200%2C903&ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?resize=840%2C632&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-hp183_2332037R.jpg?w=1594&ssl=1 1594w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25216\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>The Anatomy of Human Bodies; comprehending the most modern discoveries and curiosities in that art<\/em>, by Isbrand Diemerbrock, 1694<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma992364643406676\"><em>National Library of Medicine #2332037R<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He theorized that while lying in a supine position to rest, the hinder ventricle of the brain near the spine would be compressed, impacting the muscles and causing difficulty breathing, making it difficult to move and increasing pressure on the brain. His suggested preventative treatment for this patient involved blood-letting the afflicted, and incorporating various herbs and flowers in drink, snuff, and even by wearing some upon her head while she rests.<\/p>\n<p>Another researcher named John Bond, in his 1753 work <em><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma992477763406676\">An Essay on the Incubus, or Night-Mare<\/a><\/em>, also attributed the cause to supine positioning and an abundance of blood flow to the heart and brain. He further attempted to link sleep paralysis to other health issues:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe disease called the night-mare is not a daemon, but rather the fore-runner of the epilepsy, madness, or a mortification… and there are many instances of people being found dead in their beds of this disorder\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma992477763406676\">Bond 63<\/a>).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Nearly a hundred years later, in 1838, John Gideon Millingen wrote in <a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/9106557\"><em>Curiosities of Medical Experience<\/em><\/a> that the nightmare could be explained by digestive ailments and that it generally occured after a heavy dinner before bed. Additional considerations he suggests include an anxious disposition and a sedentary lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p>Millingen also includes in his discussion of nightmares an anecdote relating the experience of a French Physician accompanying a battalion of 800 soldiers in Italy. At the end of a long hard march the men rested in cramped conditions at an abandoned monastery overnight, which they had been warned by the locals was haunted.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe laughed at their superstitious fears, but were much amazed when, towards midnight, we heard loud cries, and the soldiers rushed tumultuously, and in evident terror, out of their rooms. Interrogated as to the causes of this alarm, they all affirmed that the devil was in the abbey; that they had seen him enter in the shape of a large black dog, that had jumped upon their breasts and disappeared. To convince them of the absurdity of their fears was of no avail; not a single man could be persuaded to return to his quarters, and they wandered about the town until day-break. The following morning I questioned the most steady non-commissioned officers and the oldest-soldiers; and though under ordinary circumstances they were strangers to fear, and never gave credit to any tales of supernatural agency, they assured me that the dog had weighed them down and nearly suffocated them. We remained that day in Tropea, and had no other quarters to occupy but the same monastery, and the soldiers would only take up their residence on the condition that we should remain with them: the men retired to sleep\u2014we watched; all was quiet until about one in the morning; when they awoke in the same terror, and fled the building in dismay. We had looked out most attentively, but could not perceive the cause of this commotion. The following day we returned to Palmi; and, although we marched over a great part of Italy, and were frequently equally crowded and uncomfortable, a similar scene never recurred.” (<a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/9106557\">Millingen 178-9<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Millingen speculated on possible medical explanations for this extraordinary event including some unhealthy gas in the crowded area, unwholesome fruit eaten on the march, or bodily constriction from lying in their uniform gear.<\/p>\n<p>The experience of sleep paralysis has long been a source of fascination and variations of this imagery can appear in unusual places. This version is part of a lantern slide collection, used in the treatment of patients at <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/04\/20\/illuminating-st-elizabeths-at-the-national-building-museum\/\">St. Elizabeths Hospital<\/a> in the mid-19th century. This startling image has a nightmarish quality though its exact purpose is unknown.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11497\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11497\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/nbm-loan2.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11497\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/04\/20\/illuminating-st-elizabeths-at-the-national-building-museum\/nbm-loan2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/nbm-loan2.jpg?fit=1600%2C907&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,907\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Therapudic image from St. Elizabeths Hospital\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Nightmare Turtle Magic Lantern Slide<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #101594732<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/nbm-loan2.jpg?fit=300%2C170&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/nbm-loan2.jpg?fit=840%2C476&ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11497\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/nbm-loan2.jpg?resize=840%2C476&ssl=1\" alt=\"Wooden framed glass slide with color image.\" width=\"840\" height=\"476\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11497\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nightmare Turtle Magic Lantern Slide<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/101594732\"><em>National Library of Medicine #101594732<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninds.nih.gov\/\">National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke<\/a> (NINDS), sleep paralysis can sometimes be linked to other sleep disorders such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninds.nih.gov\/narcolepsy-fact-sheet\">narcolepsy<\/a>. In addition to common symptoms such as excessive sleepiness and suddenly falling asleep, NINDS notes that narcolepsy may be associated with sleep paralysis and hallucinations while falling asleep or waking. Sleep disorders like these can now be observed during overnight <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhlbi.nih.gov\/health\/sleep-studies\">sleep studies<\/a>, utilizing removable sensors that \u201crecord brain waves, heart rate, breathing effort and rate, oxygen levels, and muscle movements before, during, and after sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While we now understand a lot about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninds.nih.gov\/health-information\/public-education\/brain-basics\/brain-basics-understanding-sleep\">the sleeping brain<\/a> and sleep disorders, for some, the experience of sleep paralysis remains the stuff of nightmares.<\/p>\n<p><em>For current information about <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/sleepdisorders.html\">sleep disorders<\/a> visit <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/\">MedlinePlus<\/a>, an online health information resource from the National Library of Medicine.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18108\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2019\/11\/27\/we-are-thankful-for\/nicole-baker\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?fit=857%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"857,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"Nicole-Baker\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?fit=214%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?fit=731%2C1024&ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-18108\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?resize=71%2C100&ssl=1\" alt=\"A young white woman in a library setting.\" width=\"71\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?resize=840%2C1176&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Nicole-Baker.jpg?w=857&ssl=1 857w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 71px) 100vw, 71px\" \/><\/a>Nicole Baker is a Reference Librarian in the History of Medicine Division at the National Library of Medicine.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nicole Baker ~ For centuries, sleep paralysis has afflicted people around the world. Known colloquially in English as \u201cold<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19605840,"featured_media":25215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12763,347145303],"tags":[177,136219,6168,678875930,678875929,14215],"class_list":["post-25205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collections","category-rare-books-journals","tag-art","tag-epidemic","tag-halloween","tag-national-institute-of-neurological-disorders-and-stroke","tag-sleep","tag-superstition"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Diemerbroeck-p183_2332037R_feature.jpg?fit=900%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xcDk-6yx","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19605840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25205"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25239,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25205\/revisions\/25239"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |