The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-11
Sootaes the Savage Breast and
Aids Medicine.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS
EFFECT OF SOUND VIBRATIONS
UPON NERVOUS DISEASES.
Lively Melody Touches the Excito-
Motor Nerves, Increasing the Vi
taIity of the Hearer, While Mes-
anchoIy Music Decreases Vitality
and Engenders Mental Depression
--Medico- Musical Mission.

! New York, Dec 10.-Preparations are
under way in this city for an important
experiment in medical treatment by
/ sound vibrations The power of music
! to heal has been scientifically deter
mined. Several years ago the st. &C.
celia society was organized in London
for a practical test of the effect of
music upon certain forms of nervous
disorder. It's membership was made
up of prominent physicians and skilled
musicians-the former to direct and
the latter to execute. The success of
the experiment is a matter of history.
GROWTH OF THE IDEA.
Gradually the idea has been devel-
oped among medical men that SIM
liar aid to the treatment of nervous
troubles was possible. Several promi-
nent physicians have taken the matter
up and plans are under discussion
which promise the speedy organization
of an American st. Cecilia society Re-
cent remarkably successful expert
ments by Professors Tarchanoff of st.
Petersburg, Mosso of Turin and Tere
of Paris have rekindled interest in
sound vibration as a medical agent,
and a practical application of the sci
ence as now proposed has met with
cordial approval here.
Active among the scientific men in
terested in this movement is DR.. Fred
erick Peterson, who explained the prln-
ciples of the new treatment today.
II am not as yet in a position to an
nounce the actual organization of the
medico-musical society,"" said he, but
there is every prospect that the coming
year will see il in operation. Sound
vibrations in music certainly act in
marked way upon certain forms of dis
ease For example. cases of insomnia,
no matter how severe, are invariably
relieved. Music also acts with sur
prising effect upon mild forms of in
sanity, particularly in that form
known as melancholia. In short, there
are great forces in music which can be
utilized for the relief of disease and
human suffering.
"Tarchanoff clearly demonstrates
lively melody touches excito-motor
nerves, increasing the vitality of the
nearer. Melancholy music, on the
contrary, acts upon the inhibitory
nerves, decreasing vitality and engen-
dering mental depression. There in
nutshell you have the science of
sound vibration as applied to medical
treatment. 1913
A REMEDIAL AGENT.
Il regard music not as a curative,
but as a remedial agent. It's scientific
application will assist medicine-not
take its place. I am in favor of organ
izing a musical mission and of confn-
ing our work to the hospitals"
DR.. George w. Jacoby, a well-known
violinist, and Orion Brady, q pianist,
expressed themselves much liz favor of
the idea.
Several years ago two or three ply
sicians tested the medical efficacy of
music by experiments among the in
sane patients on Randall's island.
Four hundred women were congre-
gated in the main hall of the asylum
and subjected to a single strain of
piano music for half an hour. The |
general effect was to raise the pulse |
and create restleSsness.
Individual tastes showed odd re-
suits. In the case of a parent afflicted |
with melancholy, the playing of Home, |
Sweet Home" invariably brought her |
to her knees in an ecstasy of devotion. |
The records show that the results of |
these experiments were beneficial in /
every case.
1t is understood several well-known
society people have promised co-opera-
ton with the plan for a medico- musical |
and another week will find |
the project well advanced.