Dr. John Addington Symonds (1807-71) was a practicing physician and published author. He wrote this work 2 years before being admitted into the Royal College of Physicians An in-depth examination of sleep and dreams with innovative ideas for mid-nineteenth century. Symonds analysed the interaction of memory, association, and imagination in the formation of dreams. He is also the father of another John Addington Symonds (1840-93), the Renaissance critic, aesthetic poet, and late-19th century homosexual activist.
