Charles E. Burchfield's Dreams, Journals, March 1, 1935

Another dream a few days ago. I was coming up Garfield Avenue in Salem Ohio, in company with young lovers, and two small children, a boy & a girl. It seemed there was some sort of research laboratory up on a hill overlooking the street. It seemed that for some time hirelings from this place had been trying to capture us for scientific experiments. Now they came out suddenly with very long “black-snake” whips, which they whipped towards us, the ends wrapping around our legs and rendering us helpless. They took us into the building. It was early morning before first light, but the place was brilliantly lighted. We came into an enormous room; along the sides were little rooms with walls of glass, in which men in white hospital uniforms were at work. There were arms & legs, and joints on little stands – it came to me that the purpose of their research was to make artificial blood. I was wrong though; we were led before the scientist who was at the head of the institution. He sat in a rocking chair, and seemed at first glance rather kindly looking. But he was a true fanatic. He told us that he was endeavoring to dissect a human being, and then put it together again, and have it live and act as before. He said that he already successfully done so with a man, but that he was now hopelessly insane, having been made so by the terrific pain (as all the cutting had to be done while the “specimen” was conscious). He told us that it was our privilege to serve as experiments. He said that only just now he had severed the little finger of a young woman, and grafted it back on, and making it seem a pleasant occurrence to her, she apparently suffered no pain. Just then two orderlies entered wheeling a stretcher cart, on which was someone, covered with a sheet. “Oh here she is now – you can see for yourself that she is quite happy” – as they passed he lifted the corner of the sheet, and revealed the head of a young woman, who had beautiful wavy hair. She was indeed smiling, but it seemed to me the insane smile of one who is drugged. Suddenly, I felt a sharp stab in my shoulder. I realized at once that it was a hypodermic needle; and knew that I was being prepared for the next experiment. I was horrified, but could not move. My shoulder and arm became more & more numb, and all things became hazy - - - and I awoke, to find my arm had gone to sleep from some pressure.

Charles E. Burchfield, March 1, 1935