The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-20
MUSIC AND INSANITY.

MELoDY's INFLURNoE ON BLIGHTED INTEL
LEcTs- INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS ON THE
INMATES OF THE BLAcKwELL's ISLAND LUNA
TIC ASYLUM.
Mr.. j.. N. Pastisou, tho pianist, accompanied by
Commissioner Thomas s. Brennan, Dr.. NJ. A. Wilson,
d.. J. Fitzgerald O'Conor, a representative OF the
HKRALD aud several other gentlemen greatly inter.
csted the very important subject Of the effect of
music the insane, visited Blackwells Island yester
day aud were mot by Or. William w. Strcw, the
medical superintendent OF tho Lunatic Asylum, and
his assistants and escorted TO the music hall con.
nected with the institution to investigate for the
second time tho effect OF music upon the insane Mr..
Pattson had furnished Seinway grand piano for tho
better performances Of his experiments and thereby
enabled to accomplish more perfect and satistac-
tory result than obtained onthe of his
first experiment. Tho patients this OCCASION were
brought In sineiy. and taken to select the
worst types Of mania meancholia and dcmentia tho
institution.
The hrst case was that OF young Irish woman sui
fering IRON acute mania. Sho had a strait
jacket when brought IN, and appeared 10 be an In
tructable and vicious subject She was seated by The
instrument aud Mr.. Pattison played tho first two
movements OF the heroic sonata OPP. 26, by Beetho.
ven. During the performance Of this grand work the
patient became very docile and tho strait jacket
cations of interest apart from the soothing effect OF
the music upon the patient, but IL was as the time
impossible to determine tho therapeutic effect
produced.
MELoDY's SOOTHING INFLUENCE.
The second case that Of the Irish girl EXPERT
mcuted upon last week. She is tacturn and unim-
questionable and the stealthy Dir OF certain feline
ANIMALS. Conversation tailed To awaken any ANNA
tion She drew herself into her shawl and looked at
the speaker wmh her gray eyes su>pclousy, without
lost control Of her facial musccs. The Transitions
oil the composition irom grave To gay were marked
by conractions Of her brow, as she were struggling
against benign ipuucuce. smile relaxed her
mouth, the eyelids gradually fell and sho assumed
attitude oil less rIgidy IL these manifestations
slight they were none the less pronounced anu
were IN dcative OF emotional change. In Doth
these the music seemed TO touch the emotional
sense, making them moro tractablc, subdued and
calm. The third case was OF hystericai mciai-
cholia. Tho patient wept continually Sho caino
IRON Salem, Mass, aud, 50 tar as her antecedcnts
were known had lost control oil her reason through
family afllicionA. she was much better SUD-
ject than the others nasnuoh as her early assoca-
lions AM training Ind been vi u moro refined char
actcr. II was tound IN TINS case that me cnrct oil
pathetic music was TO deepen her already existing
melancholy but In the BRIGHT iivcly scherz0 meas
ures her crying ceased ana shc became apparently
cheerful una happy although a few momon.s beiore
creature wcp that she nau rubbed her
face 10 u rcd anu innamed condition with her hand
notion somewhat extensively held that the insane do
not weep is without any warrant III fact
TYPES bEhENrIA.
Tho fourth case WAS OF violent recurrent mania
A moro unpromisng type could not have been So
lec,ed ihan lnis rhe woman was about thr.y-llvo
years oil age. she wore vacant cxprosson that was
aud although cassed as Gaze OF recur-
rent mania She impressed all who looked upon her Us
hopeless specimen oil dementia An experiment Of
some interest tried with this woman IL was
found that while ths music produced no physiog-
nomical signs never once even disturbing the stony
detection OF manner, II ud elect her cir-
culaton spite Ul these negative indices Her puiso
was accelerated twelve beats by what may be called
s.thc application oil rhythm' So curious was this
result tnat experiment tried three times, and
effort the artery Indicated some response OF
tue organic ccntrcs 10 the external influence, without
any corresponding change ia the voluntary system OF
muscles :,
Gases 8, o and 7 furnished similar results In
forms oi tue music. When there was no other ind-
cation OF nervous or emotional impression the pulse
would from eighty TO 100 ana Increased not only
| In rapidly but In force anu strength.
| some attempt was made to determine whether tho
mclocc or dynam &c change IN tho performance pro-
duccu this elect and II Was agreed by the experts
that lower types the force or magnitude o the
sounds was operative tnan the sweetness or sig
| nGcanco OF their succession or combination.
EXPERIMENT.
| Mr. Pattison performed very pretty exper mont
by play ng the music IN the different Keys. ~ was
| found hat .Home sweet Home" played IN sharp.
was In u cases more elective in producing results
| unon tncso ORGANIZATIONS and natures Than when
OF musical investIsati In connection with this In
tercstng subject winch Mr. Pattson aud the medical
| gentlemen acting with him intend In iuturo and
| tur,bar M i'm Ell o examine thoroughly.