Evening Star Newspaper, September 21, 1930, Page 97

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SEPTEMBER 21, 1930. 15 Can Man EXIST Without SLEEP?’ Peculiar Cases of New Jersey Resi- dent, Who Says He Has Never Slept, and of Budapest War Veteran Who Has Remained Awake Since Sus- taining An Injury In Battle, Raise Question W hether Man Can Learn to Live Without Em- bracing Morpheus. BY F. CARLYN. CIENTISTS are seeking that Utopian day when man will be able to exist without sleep; that time when syn- thetic, medicated food will make in- somnia lifelong and universal; that golden era when cities will be noiseless and nerves will be so guarded as never to need the revitalizing influence of unconscious rest. Far distant as this sleepless era may appear, amid the pandemonium of present-day metro- politan life, it is not as far off as it seems. In fact, if you would listen to Albert E. Herpin of Trenton, N. J.,, the days of Morpheus even now are numbered. And Herpin seems to know whereof he speaks. ie says he hasn't slept for 78 years. The report of Dr. J. C. Rittenhouse, who examined Herpin 25 years ago when his case was attracting international attention, explains the medical man’s viewpoint of this phenome- non of the man who never sleeps. “From a scientific standpoint the Herpin sleepless case could not be credited. He says he has never slept and is still alive and well. Mr. Herpin cannot blame doctors for being skeptical, but as he has proved his statements by scientific tests, he stands today the most marvelous human being on earth.” HERPIN himself is indifferent whether sci- ence looks upon him as a freak or a fake. He says he has his own life to live. He stood at the massive wooden door of his ramshackle sheet iron and wood abode at 512 May treet, Trenton, N. J. “Just walked eight miles to do some shop- ping,” he said. “Think I'll sit down for a spell. When a man gets near 80 years old he loses some of his pep—mnot much, but enough to count.” 30 you get tired?” he was asked. “zure I get tired. People think because I don't sleep I never need rest. When I get through my day’s work I'm just as tired as any man that does physical labor all day. The only difference is that the average working man can go home and go to bed to refresh himself for the next day. - “I cannot go to bed. It hurts my muscles to stretch out in a reclining position. But while other people are sleeping I'm resting sitting up. I use my old armchair for a bed and I rise from that in the morning just as refreshed as you do from your bed. “Do I close my eyes? Of course not. It hurts me to close them. Then, even if I could close them, what would I do? I wouldn’t be able 1o read. You know, most persons, espe- cially the doctors, think that I sleep with my eyes open. Shucks, there’s nothing unusual about it. Many babies have that habit and a number of grown-ups, too. But the main point 1s that when they sleep, eyes open or shut, they lose consciousness——their minds become blank. But when I rest I am fully conscious. My mind is just as active as it is in the daytime. I must have something to occupy it while I vest, so I read. I get seven newspapers every day and I read these while I'm resting. “1 smoke also while I'm resting. I never smoke in the daytime.” To the layman’s eye Herpin appears in fine physical condition for a man approaching 80. He stands tall and straight, with the lean, hard build of an athlete. His voice has not the slightest. quaver and his mind—quick and alert as those gray-green, steadily staring eyes that never clo:e—gives every indication that it has expanded marvelously through years of reading while ordinary folk were fast asleep. If inven- tion is the mark of genius, then Herpin is a double genius. His two inventions startled the pottery world and tended to revolutionize that art. Herpin is a china decomu;r\l.:y“tmde.h He AT s In recent years scientists have made an extensive study of sleep in an endeavor to ascertain just how necessary this periodic unconsciousness is to man. Above is shown an instrument which records the restlessness of the subjects. calls himself the oldest worker in that branch of art now living in America. He recalls deco= rating china for the Philadelphia . Centennial Exposition in 1876. As a boy, while other lads were sleeping, Herpin was experimenting in his makeshift dark room with cameras and films and transfers. It does not seem strange then that he should suddenly startle the pottery trade with the announcement that he had discovered a method to produce one-color underglaze and four-color overglaze. Pottery makers all over the world had long been seeking a method Yo do this work. His inventions were hailed as revolutionary. “But I didn't make a cent out of them,” Her- pin grinned. ‘““The operators tried to learn my secret without guaranteeing protection.” With a fortune in his grasp, the “most wide- awake man in the world” spurned it because he smelled trickery. This is the most remarkable part about Herpin—his utter séorn for money. He chuckles at people who cannot understand why a man would pass up a fortune for any reason. “Money means nothing to me. All I want is enough to buy some food and tobacco. I esti- mate I have had 3,000 offers to exhibit for pay, ranging from $5 a day to $5,000 a week. The nerviest offer of all was from one show manager who wanted to set me in a cage to live. I was to receive $1,000 a week for simply gnash- ing my teeth’ and generally appearing as if I was wild for sleep.” el B - Herpin's disregard for the material things of life. He has in his files an offer of $10,000 from a scientific association to go to Vienna for 31 days to enable their experts to study his case. He turned down this offer because he has a dread of the sea. Even now, with interest in his case rearoused, he spurns opportunities to gain remuneration through his sleeplessness. He has offers ranging from $500 to $3,000 from motion picture, talkie and radio broadcasting companies for less than a half hour’s work. He has turned them all down as far as the money is concerned, but has complied with many re- quests gratis. “Live and let live is a good rule to follow. If cameramen and reporters earn their living through such persons as I, why should I refuse o pose or talk for them? But I refuse to be exhibited for money. I don’t want to be a freak.” = WHILE the medical men and scientists who have examined Herpin have been unable to solve the riddle of his sleeplessness, he him- self attributes it to shock. His mother was in an omnibus accident in Philadelphia shortly be- fore he was born. Relatives soon noticed that the new arrival never closed his eyes. Doctors said he couldn’t survive. But since 1852 Herpin has never been ill; on the contrary, he has dis- played more than ordinary physical prowess To cite one instance, he won a skaupgcgm 1 T d 1 Ao ... "when 50 years old . at, the, Nationgl, G A nuinber of instances could bé'citéd to sliow”, ' | Armory fn Trenfon. . . ... . 5 ;e vy \ \ g st t‘:v It is characteristic of this man whom nature has ordained to be different from his fellows to seek the humorc: ~ everything. When he laughs it is wit .y vigor of a man of 30. This good huiucr has endeared him to the hearts of Trenton’s children. His weakness is spending nearly all his wages in toys to dis- tribute to the poor children. Every Christmas, too, he plays Santa Claus at a party for the poor of the city. If you see Herpin on the street in the daytime you will alwa¥s see a half dozen children tagging at his heels. “Do you consider your inability to sleep from the viewpoint of a blessing or a curse?” Herpin was asked. “Neither. When I was younger I used to try all sorts of tricks to get to sleep because the * doctors said I should try to cultivate the habit. I would count wp to 1,000, wriggle my toes and fingers, try every insomnia remedy I ever heard, but it was no use. Doctors even tried drugs on me without effect. Some made me sick, but none made me sleepy. It's just nature that I don't sleep and therefore it's neither a bless- ing nor a curse.” In regard to the use of drugs on Herpin, the report of Dr. Charles H. Waters of Penning- ton avenue, Trenton, reads: “To a doctor, Herpin's case seems impossible, yet Herpin has taken enough drugs to kill any ordinary man many times over. He has with- stood chloral, somnos and morphine in doses strong enough to put the most powerful man to sleep in a twinkling, but on him it has shown no effect. To my knowledge there is not another case in the world like Herpin's, He is never sick, never drowsy and eats heartily.” DR. J. V. D. POLLOCK and another physi- cian put Herpin through a week's test about 25 years ago in Philadelphia. Dr. Pol- lock said: “When Herpin first came to me for treat- ment I did not believe his story. I had one doctor watch him at night and I watched dur- ing the day. Nothing resulted. He never slept. His pulse kept normal. He lost nothing in weight and was never nervous. I wanted to give his case to the public at that time, but he would not consent.” Dr. William B. Van Duyn of Trenton evolved a plan to put Herpin to sleep by means of elec- tricity through the use of galvanic batteries, but they had no effect on him. Psychologists - now seem more interested in Herpin's sleeplessness than physicigns. W. R. Miles, professor of psychology at Stanford Uni- versity, California, is planning to examine Here pin at Yale University in the Fall “in order to put his experience permanently on record n scientific literature.” fessors,form a large part of the writers of his fan mail. They send him questionnaires by the dozens. 1Y e, t a m ok bl ~ Continued on Tweniy-second Page: . . College students and pro= ~