MUSIC FOR OPERATIONS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 107, 22 May 1937, Page 11

MUSIC FOR OPERATIONS

A peculiar * Telationsliip e^ists between music and narcosis. In 1901 Dr. Droeser, a dentist in Paris, put eaTphonea on the head of a patient who was to be anaesthetised" with laughing gas, Tho device was connectcd with a gratnophpne, which was turned on, as soon a? the patient began.to inhale tho gas. The results were so satisfactory that the dentist adopted tho method for all his patients, who stated that they woke with a pleasant sensation of wcllbcing and were sparcd the disogreeable dreanis, with which this kind of narcosis is ofteu connccted, Basing his idcas upon the experiBtente of the Paris dentist. tho Swiss Mrgeon Hr. lioth dcc'ded Lo ailopt tlie method for surgt.'al opctatioiu

performed under ether or chloroform. In 1903 he published a summary of the results obtained in 300 cases. The experiment proved entirely satisfactory. The patients were much calmer r.nd the period of cxcilement preceding the sleep was considerably shortened. Nausea and yomiting were almost eliniinated. Dr. Eotn lays particular stress on the statement of patients who had been previonsly operated upon under ordinary narcosis and were therefore ablo to draw comparisons. StrangeJy enough, military marches appeared lo have the most soothing effect fn eombination with the anacstlietic. — Professor Atfrcd Froligh, M.D., in The .New yienna Journal, Yionna.