The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-03-03
MUSIC IN 4 MID HOUSE.

The first of q series of musical expert |
ments was made last week IN the Raudaft's 3 t
Island asylum, New York, for the pauper in
sane. The Investigators consisted of party
of medical men, musicians and reporters.
hepurpose of the visit was to determine, if
possible, the relative and specific effects of
hythm, melody, and harmony upon
patients suffering with melancbolia and
acute mania, and to note the emotional in
fuence and therapeutic results Gf any, of
the different modes and various kinds OF
music when performed under favorable cir
lected from the large number of insane now
under treatment on the island.
About fourteen hundred female patients
were assembled in the entertainment hall
and subjected to a continuous strain of
piano music for half ON hour. This pre-
paratory move was not unlike the prellm-
mary measures of popular biologists who
wish to place their audiences en- rapport
with themselves, and to tell them to look at
a revolving dick, or to hold their thumbs,
and then select the susceptible cases. The
compositions covered wide range; Noe
turne of Chopin, song of Schubert, waltz
of Gottschalk, Polka of Pattison, F" Hold
tho Fort" bit of The Moonlight Son.
ata," "Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are
marching" a strain or two Of Mozart, and
1.-THE Sweet By aud By" 1t was obeerva-
BILE that the general effect was to raise the
pulse and make the patients reetess.
A prevalent desire to keep time with the
I dance music was noticeable. Rhythm they
were all susceptible to, and it's effect wac
stimulating. Mere melody of an uncertain
tempo was without any effect. except in
! those individual cases where the force of
association was still operative. During
| the performance of a waltz, it was with
the greatest difficulty that the keepers
could keep the patients in their seats !;
and even when thus confined, the greater
number kept time by drumming on the
| seats with their bands, waggiDg their
| heads, or shu filing their feet. In one case
of chronic melancholia, the performance of
'Home, Sweet Home," invariably brought
the patient to her knees, where she began
to recite the "Lord's Prayer" in an appa-
| rent ecstasy of devotion. In another case
| of acute mania the dance music raised her
pulse from 78 to 106 without the patient
exhibiting any other sigus of excitation
than the Involuntary twitching Of her facial
| muscles. In the worst cases, cantabile
music seemed to have much the same
soothing fleet that it has upon certain
animals. They were disposed to lie COM
fortably down and go to sleep under it. IL
nearly every instance the effects of pro
nounced rhythm were involuntary, ths
movements of the limbs and facial muecleI
being attributed to reflex action. Expert
ments in the mad house upon Ward
Island were deferred, there being no in
atrument there.
1t is understood that further experiment
will be made this week, and among other
it is proposed to try the effects of musi
upon a raving maniac. 1t should be statet
that the patients oH Randalrs and Ward
Islands are not entirely. strangers to goot
T music. Every facility is offered to profes
sional visitors te sing and play for tb
unfortunates, and scarcely week pasSe
that some kindly disposed musician doe
not visit the islands and offer a charitabl
!: entertainment.