The record-union., 1897-03-06
MUSIC And CHILDREN.
Soothing Effects of Sweet Strains for
Nocturnal Fright.
New Element of Diagnosis of Obscure
Cases of rlalariaI Infection
Distinction Imperative.

Without asking my readers to believe
In the legends Of Orpheus making the
hills and trees dance to the sound OF his
lutte, of Apollo charming wild beasts or
Of David soothing King Saurs melan-
choly with his harp, they have probably
heard that music has a quieting effect
on certain natures. Mr.. TarachanoW,
Russian physician, who has frequently
been successful in treating mental dis
orders by this means, attributes to 1t the
power of restoring harmony and unison
to the nervous system. 1t is said that
homeopathic patients, and especially
epileptics. derive great benefit from this
treatment when it is employed intelf-
gently and in accordance with the eX-
perimental researches made by Alfred
Warthim of Michigan as to its effects
on the human organism.
l shall merely remind my readers that
he hypnotized seven patients five men
and two women, and found that there
was physiological result in them from
the effect of the music, the result diff
fertng according to the style of music
played, the music of the 'Valkyrie'
seeming to produce perspiration where
L
effect and produced sleep.
The influence of music on the nervous
system has to be studied from different
points of view, SO as to ascertain not
only the diseases to which it is suitable
as a treatment, but the quantity and
quality to be used; in other words, it's
therapeutical dose has to be determined.
The favorable results obtained from
music in the treatment of nervous dis
orders led to its being tried as a thera-
peutical means in curing the peculiar
condition occurring in children and called
nocturnal fright
This symptom generally occurs at the
beginning of the night. A short time
after falling asleep the child starts up,
screams and calls its parents, who find
1t sitting up in bed, its forehead COW
cred with perspdration, crying, scream
ing and wringing its hands. Its features
manifest the greatest terror, 1t appears
to be unconscious of everything around
it, recognizes no one, and seems under
the influence of a hallucination that ter
rifles it. 1t sees a dog, cat, black man
or phantom on the bed
Nothing will quiet the child, who
weeps and sobs for fifteen TO twenty
minutes. Finally, calm returns little by
little; it recognizes the faces about it,
but begs them not to go away nor carry
OFF the light. and ultimately falls asleep
again, not to be disturbed until morn
ing. Sometimes the same scene recurs
on the following evenings but under
ordinary circumstances it only reap
pears after a certain interval.
In most cases this tableau is without
gravity, but it may occasion a state of
nervousness that is always to be re-
gretted
on account Of the unreliability of
the therapeutical means in use for this
disorder, NJ. Bestchinsky has recently
tried the effect of music on q case he
had to treat
A child of 3 was suddenly seized with
trembling in the middle of the night;
her eyes were wide open and remained
so, while from time to time she NUT
tered an unintelligible sentence. In
spite of the administration of bromide
OF sodium the attacks did not cease,
but recurred every night. NJ. Bestchin-
sky then had recourse to music, choos-
ing a piece of a melancholy nature.
Under the influence of a waltz in c
minor, by Chopin, played every even
ing before bedtime the child slept
quietly without waking. On one oc-
casion she was put to bed without mu-
sic, at NJ. Bstchinsky's request, to
make sure of the real effect of the mu-
sic, and an attack occurred, though less
severe than before; the following day
the music was resumed, and no more
attacks occurred.
The seances We're gradually given up,
and after a month were stopped alto
gether, as thsre then appeared to be
no further FISK of an attack, and, in
fact. Che child had no more night at
lacks.
A NEW SYMPTOM OF MALARIA.
NJ. Boisson, a French army surgeon,
claims to have observed a special col
oratIon of the nails in patients suffer
ing from malaria. which can be of use to
diagnosing the more difficult forms of
that infection, and also in recognizing
the non malarial origin of certain feb
rile attacks occurring in malarial pa
tients.
This peculiar color Of the nails is
said to appear before the chill begins,
TO become more marked during the
chill, 10 reach its acme during the pc
riod Of heat, and then to decrease pro-
gressiVely until ii disappears alto
gether toward the end of the perspira-
. tion stage.
\ cyanotic tinge had already been
observed beneath the nails in malaria,
but no special signification had been
attached to it, as it had been laid to
disordered circulation engendered by
the chill.
The slate-colored appearance OF rne
nails. TO which NJ. Boisson calls at
tentiOn, appearing before the chill, and
reaching its maximum intensity dur
ing the heat. is probably due TO an
alteration OF a great many red blood
corpuscles that are destined to disap
pear during the acute phase, an alter
alton that manifests itself by a modi-
fcation in the coloring power of the
haemoglobine.
The diagnositic value OF this slate
tinge appears TO be aHnquesti0nable. NJ
Boisson states that it is always evs-
dent at the beginning Of a nalaG-ial at