A Relation of an Extraordinary Sleepy Person (ca.1698)

Feb 6, 2014



A Royal Society paper delivered by Dr William Oliver describing a bizarre case he encountered of a man who fell into a "profound sleep" from which no-one could wake him for a full month. After a month was up he awoke as if nothing had happened, put on his clothes, and "went about his business of husbandry as usual", but never spoke of the incident. Just under 2 years later he fell again into the strange spell of sleep, but this time for just under 4 months, until he again "awaked, put on his Cloaths, and walkt about the room, not knowing he had slept above a night". Another spell occurred roughly a year later to which our Dr Oliver attended. He tried to wake the man by pouring a "fiery spirit" down his nose by poking him with needles, and shouting in his ear, but nothing worked. Again the man awoke entirely of his own accord some months later oblivious as to what had happened to him.