SOMNAMBULISM (Lat. somnium, sleep, ambulo, to walk). In Medical juris prudence. Sleep-walking.
2. The mental condition in this affection is not very unlike that of dreaming. Many of their pheno mena are the sante; and the fortner differs from the latter chiefly in the larger number of the functions iovolved io the abnormal process. In addition to the mental activity common to both, the somnam bulist eojoys the use of his senses in some degree, and the power of locomotion. He is thereby en abled to perform manual operations as well, fre quently, as in his waking state. The farmer goes to his barn and threshes his grain; the house servant lights a fire and prepares the breakfast for the fatoily; and the scholar goes to his desk and writes or reads. Usually, however, the action of the senses is more or less imperfect, many of tbe impressions being incorrectly or not at all per ceived. The person walks against a wall, or stumbles over an object in his path; be mistakes some projection for a horse, strides across it, and ininteines himself to be riding ; be hears the faintest sound connected with what he is doing, while the voices of persons near him, and even the blast of a trumpet, are entirely unnotioed. Occasionally the power of the senses is increased to a degree un known in the waking state. Jane Rider, whose remarkable history was published some thirty years ago, could read the ahnost obliterated dates of coins, in a dark room, and wss able to read and write while her eyes were covered with several folds of handkerchief. For the' most part, how ever, the operations of the somnambulist consist in getting up while asleep, groping about in the dark, endeavoring to make his way out of the house through doors or windows, making some inarticu late sounds, perhaps, and all the while unconscious of persons or things around him. The power of the perceptive faculties, as well as that of the senses, is sometimes increased in a wonderful degree. It is related of the girl just mentioned that in the fit she would sing correctly, and play at backgammon with considerable skiil, though she bad never dune eitber when awake.
3. The sotnnambulist always awakes suddenly, and has but a faint conception, if any, of what he has been thinking and doing. It' censciois of any thing, it is of an unpleasant dream imper fectly remembered. This fact, not being enerally known, will often enable us to detect simulated somnambulism. If the person on waking con tinues the same train of thought and pursues the same plans and purposes which lie did whi e asleep, there can be no doubt that be is feigning the affec tion. When a real somnambulist, for some et imi •
nal purpose, undertakes to simulate a paroxysm, he is not at all likely to imitate one of his UNVD re vious paroxysms, for the simple reason that he knows less thun others how he nppeared bile in them. If, therefore, somnambulism is alleged in any given case, with nu other proof than the occur rence of former paruxysms unquestionably genuine, it must be viewed with suspicion if the character of the alleged paroxysm differs materially from that of the genuine ones. In one way or another, a case of shnulation would generally be detected by means of a close and intelligent set utiny, so diflienit is it to itoitatefehat mixture of consciousness and un -consciousness, of dull and sharp perceptions, which somnambulism presents. The history of the indi vidual may throw some light on the matter. If he has had an opportunity of witnessing the movements of a somnambulist in tbe course of his life, this fact alone would rouse suspicion, which would be greatly increased if the alleged paroxysm pre sented many traits like those of the paroxyims previously witnessed.
4. The legal consequences of somnambulism should be precisely those of insanity, which it so nearly resenibles. The party should be exempt from punishment for his criminal acts, and be held amenable in damages for torts and trespasses. The only possible ex ception to this principle is to be found in those cases where the somnambulist, by medi tating long on a criminal act while awake, is thereby led to commit it in his next par oxysm. Hoff bauer contends that, such being generally the fact, too much indulgence ought not to be shown to the criminal acts of the somnambulist. Die Psychologie, etc. c. 4. art. 2. But surely this is rather refined and hazardous speculation, and seems like pun ishing men solely for bad intenti on s,—beca use the acts, though ostensibly the ground of punishment, are actually those of a person deprived of his reason. The truth is, how ever, that criminal acts have been committed in a state of somnambulism by persons of irreproachable character. See Gray, Mod. Jur. 265 ; Wharton & S. Med. Jur. ; Tirrell's case, Mass.
SON. An immediate male descendant. In its technical meaning in devises, this is a word of purchase; but the testator may make it a word of descent. Sometimes it is ex tended to more remote descendants.