The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-01-24
Music and Sickness.


and discovery. More singular things
are being found ont in these DAYS
! than at any former period of the
world S history. Some OF the current
discoveries are simply calculated to
amuse; others are useful without be.
ing very entertaining; and still Others
combine utility with del1ghtfulness,
and serves the double purpose of do
ing good and making life agreeable
and happy. To the last-named class
belongs the recent burst of genius
Which acquaints us with the alleged
TACT that the proper way to cure nell
ralgia is to treat it with tuning fork.
1t has been found, we are assured, ,
that sensitive nerve is susceptible
to the influence of musical vibrations:
and neuralgia being nervous disor-
der. 1t IS only necessary to strike
the tuning fork and apply it TO the
seat of the pain, and relief is sure to
be experienced.
1t will be seen at a glance tn It this
opens up new field for scientific in
| quiry and experiment. Given the
fact that neuralgia can be driven
away by being placed in contact with
tuDlng-fOrk. and it must logically
| follow that other diseases can he ex-
PEELED from the system through some
other form of musical poulticing, so
to speak. The task, of course, Is to
ascertain what kind Of music or what
! fashion of musical instrument is ad-
apted to each particular disease. As
! fast as this can be accomplished
! phySlc may be thrown to the dogs and
the doctors laughed To scorn. In not
Il few inS' ances one ought TO be able
n hinncnlf. Fa;r o.
mise that If neuralgia can be disposed
of with tuning-fork, there are other
ailments which will surrender to the
Jewsharp, the penny whistle, the har-
monicon and other instruments on
which anybody can learn to play.
| Even a tolerable order of amateur
| singing might be found available, we
should say, in some complaints; and
surely life will have fresh Zest when
we can chase off pain with bit of
ones own singing.
There can be no question about the
influence of music upon the processes
of thought and emotion and disease,
we know, is very largely matter of
thinking and feeling. Why, then,
should not disease be checked and
| controlled by an application of con-
cord of given sounds us well as by the
swallowing OF Il prescribed course of
pills or powders? In many cases, per-
haps, what we call disease is only
| longing for harmony and melody-a
reaching ont afte" something pleasant
| TO listen to- 1t may be. If we but
knew it, that often when we think we
require caiomel, quinine, or podophyl-
lin, we really need to have The Ar
kanSaw Traveller" executed for us
on a violin, or Peek-a-Boo" Warbled
for us in voice adapted to the emer-
| geDcy. Herbert Spencer has analyZed
this mysterious connection between
music and the scheme of feeling
| in very profound and skillful man.
ner. lie does IL / go quite to the ex-
| tent of recommending music in place
of ordinary medicine, but his theory
evidently tends towards such result.
| Every mental excitement or emotion,
he declares, is accompanied by cor
responding muscular action, and the
finer and loftier feelings find express
sion through the muscles that are ex-
ercised in the production of music.
The philosophy of treating neuralgia
with tuning fork obviously rests
upon the same principle which Mr..
spencer here announces, and we have
but to pursue it to its legitimate con-
clusion, and it is bound to justify the
doctrine that in music lies the true Sc
cret of dealing with sickness.
The flct that those nations most
addicted to music are as rule health
lest nations is not to be disputed; and
that Is a point of manifest Importance.
1t must have been that Plato recog-
nized and appreciated this truth, for
in his ideal republic music festivals
were to have prominent place, while
no provisions were made for sustain
ing body of medical practitioners or
running system of drug stores.
Probably it would not be too much to
say that taking human kind individ-
ually, those persons are most exempt
from disease as a general thing who
have most music in their souls. The
robustness of the average prima donna
is proVerhial and the organized appe-
tite Of an opera company is the terror
Of the hotels everywhere. 1t is not
merely accidents, we must think, that
keep people healthy who are nothing il
not musical. There Is method in it.
The principle declared by Herbert
Spencer and virtually believed in long
before him by Plato, is at the bottom
OF the thing, we may easily coniec-
ture. And with that much gained,
the theory of the general treatment
Of disease with music instead of
medicine can be worked out and indi-
Gated almost as matter of course.
The difficulty lies in adjusting the de-
tails, in formulating Il set of rules by
which we may readily determine
what sort of music should be resorted
to in the various forms of disease. A
tuning-fork may be entirely adequate
in case of neuralgia attack, but it
would hardly answer for bilious collie
or tough assault of Missouri river
ague. There must be contingencies
of illness. it gois without saying, III
which nothing s1ait of Il br iss band
or calliope would answer the pllr-
pose. Indeed, there is ground for
holding that among the numerous ills
that flesh is heir to a few must be
foun1 against which any and all
kinds of music would prove futile,
just as there are known complaints
that resist the whole nateria medica
In such cases there would be nothing
for it but to stand still and let nature
have her way. We may rest reasona-
bly, sure, however, that even at times
like these somebody IN the neighbour
hood would be able to furnish music.
so called, of a character that should at
least reconcile the poor suf 'rer to
death.