The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-13
MYSTERIOUS POWER
ASCRIBED TO MUSIC
Doctors Early Recognized Power of
Sweet Sound to Heal in Treat
ment Of Nervous Diseases

The oldest legends of antiquity tell
US what a mysterious power the men of
those days sometimes attributed TO
music, says the Paris Herald. The songs
of Orpheus and the sound of his Tyre
even. it is said, attracted wild beasts,
which came crawling up to listen at his
feet, vanquished The all-powerful
beauty of the song of this hero even
softened the hearts of the pitiless divin-
tiles of Hades. M. Nitello, in an article
on this subject published in "Medicina,"
recalls how. to the sound of Amphion's
Tyre, the stones became animated and
came to place themselves one upon an
other to build the city of Thebes.
1t is difficult to take these pretty
legends literally; it is perhaps more
rational to believe Old Homer when he
says that when Ulysses had been
wounded by a wild boar, music made
him forget his pain. That is the first
, case on record in which a remedy is
sought in this art.
The Greeks claimed that Esculapius
was a son of Apollo. Though Ii is no
longer possible to believe, In accord
ance with this legend, that Medicine is
the daughter of Music, at least 1t Is
permissible to think, says M. Nitello,
that they are two sisters, the elder of
which sometimes gives aid TO the other.
But to leave this distant period and
come down to Celsi. it is seen that this
doctor recognizes already the action of
music on the minds of lunatics. Then
this same art is indicated by various
authors as remedy for the most
diverse ailments Galien recommends il
for snake bites Athenea, Theophastus
and Aulu Gele believe in its happy in
fiuence on sciatica and gout:- Thea
critus and Thales see in II a means OF
contending against pest
1t Is especially In the treatment of
nervous diseases that music has given
the best results Cases of hysteria and
epilepsy seem sometimes to have been
cured by concerts. The attack, treated
at the start, ceased and subsequently
occurred more rarely and ended by not
appearing any more.
For long time past musicotherany
has been employed in rational man
ner. 1t has been used in the treat
meht of madmen. Esquirel organized
concerts at Chareaton, but he was not
very well satisfied with the results OBJ
tanned. In 1910. Leuret at Bicetre, re-
newed the same attempt but also with
out much success. Since this period at
tempts have often been made to divert
madmen In this way 1t would appear
that in the treatment of madness music
has not given the good results expected.
But IL the experiment has not been
success 1t may be because music is felt
in a different manner by>every human
being and the more so must that be the
case with those who are diseased
The music chosen must touch the pa
tient without. however. the effect being
too strong. 1t is also desirable that 1t
should be zen rapport with the trou-
bles of which the patient complains. IL
his circulation is bad, music of a some
what violent character will have an ex-
cellent effect on him IT, on the other
hand, he Is suffering from d stomach
ailment 1t will increase his pain by caus-
ing contractions of the organ which is
already painful.
IL a convalescent is under treatment
and 1t is desirable to rouse him from