Professor Tarchanoff claims as the result of these experiments
that music may fairly be regarded as a serious therapeutic agent,
and that it exercises a genuine and considerable influence over
the functions of the body. Facts of this kind are in no way
surprising, and are chiefly of interest as presenting some
physiologic basis for phenomena that are sufficiently obvious.
The influence of the war-chant upon the warrior is known even to
savage tribes. We are accustomed to regard this influence simply
as an ordinary case of psychic stimuli producing physiologic
effects.
"Professor Tarchanoff evidently prefers to regard the phenomena
as being all upon the same plane, namely, that of physiology; and
until we know the difference between mind and body, and the
principles of their interaction, it is obviously impossible to
controvert this view successfully. From the immediately practical
point of view we should not ignore the possible value of music in
some states of disease. In melancholia and hysteria it is
probably capable of being used with benefit, and it is worth
bearing in mind in dealing with insomnia. Classical scholars will
not forget that the singing of birds was tried as a remedy to
overcome the insomnia of Maecenas.
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