The Washington times., 1922-04-16

EVERYBODY knows the story of crazy
King Saul and how David soothed
him with the music of his harp when
Sauls fits of madness came upon himA
Or, as 1t is set down in |. Samuel, 1898:
And it came to pass, when the evil spirit
from God was upon Saul, that David took
a harp, and played with his hand: So Saul
was refreshed, and was well. And the evil
spirit departed from him"
Recent experiments carried on at in
sane asylums and private ssnitariums,
both here and abroad. to test the effect
of music upon disordered minds, have re-
vealed not only that the Biblical account
is founded on sound scientific fact. but
also the probable method by which the
harmonious vibrations from David's harp
soothed the mad kings fury.
The researches show that in a number
of kinds Of insanity little gland at the
base of the brain is directly concerned as
the cause of the condition. This gland,
called the pituitary body, is one Of series
in the body known as the ductless glands.
All these organs are little factories manu-
featuring certain substances which they
excrete into the blood and which have
enormous influence upon the chemistry OF
the body and so. 1t follows, the function
ing of the brain.
One of the duties Of the pituitary body
or gland-and perhaps the most important
was found to be the regulation of the
rhythm Of the body. In some way that
science does not yet clearly understand
the pituitary regulates the beating of the
heart through the vagus or pneumogastric
nerve: in the same manner 1t keeps rhyth-
mic the movements Of the stomach's walls
called peristaltic-which are so neces-
sary to digestion.
But there are other rhythms about the
body with which it has to do. Walking
and dancing-in fact, every motion-is, or
should be- rhythmic play of the muscles
concerned in the actions. Correct singing
depends not only upon rhythmic impulses
of the throat, lips and lungs, but upon both
conscious and unconscious perception OF
the rhythm itself.
The main function OF the pituitary body
seems to be to look after the whole matter
of bodily rhythm II is the concert master
presiding over an orchestra of nerves and
muscles.
So long as It is steadily and honestly
"on the Job" the concert goes on normally
heart beating right and circulation there
fore good, stomach walls contracting and
relaxing and the whole body in tune. But
when the concert master gets lazy or toe
energetic or mixes up the time-well, then
what is the orchestra Of muscles and
nerves to do? Nothing but go crazy-and
that is just what they do.
1t was found that the pituitary is ex
tremely susceptible to rhythmic vibrations
from the outside. And right here another
mystery began to clear up.
Why is 1t, we have often wondered, that
certain kinds of music make us feel brave
and warlike, other kinds depress and make
us sad, others make us teel light and gay
others literally drive us erazyT And why
is IL that when we hear certain tunes We
want to dance? And why will the martha
strains OF a good band make tired soldiers
and marchers step out briskly, their fatigue
forgotten7
II is not enough to say that a tune Il
sad or gay or what not. Tunes are com
binations OF musical notes, and these sr'
nothing but air vibrations which, passin,
through the ear, are taken up by the audi
tory nerve and acquire in the sensory cen
tres of the brain the quality OF sounds
One air vibration is, msnifestly, neithe