Rousseau mentions
music as causing convulsive laughter in a woman. Bayle mentions a
woman who fainted at the sound of a bell. Paullini cites an
instance of vomiting caused by music, and Marcellus Donatus
mentions swooning from the same cause. Many people are unable to
bear the noise caused by the grating of a pencil on a slate, the
filing of a saw, the squeak of a wheel turning about an axle, the
rubbing of pieces of paper together, and certain similar sounds.
Some persons find the tones of music very disagreeable, and some
animals, particularly dogs, are unable to endure it. In Albinus
the younger the slightest perceptible tones were sufficient to
produce an inexplicable anxiety. There was a certain woman of
fifty who was fond of the music of the clarionet and flute, but
was not able to listen to the sound of a bell or tambourine.
Frank knew a man who ran out of church at the beginning of the
sounds of an organ, not being able to tolerate them. Pope could
not imagine music producing any pleasure. The harmonica has been
noticed to produce fainting in females. Fischer says that music
provokes sexual frenzy in elephants. Gutfeldt speaks of a
peculiar idiosyncrasy of sleep produced by hearing music.
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