Seventh Annual Meeting of the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences (ISHN), Los Angeles, California, 1-5 June 2002 (review)

Los Angeles, California, 1-5 June 2002

Contemporary projects frequently demonstrate that brain research at the end of the 20th century has stimulated the artistic imagination. Although our excitement about current work tends to overshadow historical examples, this was not the case at the seventh annual meeting of the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences (ISHN). Indeed, one of the most compelling features of the conference was the degree to which combinations of art, science and technology were simply assumed.

This assumption was immediately evident during the opening reception, held in the rare book room of the History and Special Collections Division, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library at UCLA. A special exhibit was set up and included (among other things) Hideomi Tuge's study; an atlas of the brain of a pianist, Chiyo Tuge (1908-1969); an 1880 anatomical wax model of the left side of the head and neck in dissection; and Percival Bailey's copy of the Edwin Smith surgical papyrus. This ancient papyrus is now regarded as a work of art, due to its value and significance—the unknown author, a surgeon, systematically described the examination, diagnosis and feasibility of treatment for 48 cases. Several of these cases discussed the brain, meninges (brain coverings), spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid for the first time in recorded history. Generally regarded as the first record of historical attempts to understand connections between the brain and the human body, the papyrus's empirical approach to the problems under investigation has been studied extensively. It is perhaps not surprising that Percival Bailey, a later neurologist, owned a copy of this document, which contained the first written reference to any part of the brain, in this case the cortex. Interestingly, the Edwin Smith papyrus is also a copied document. It is usually dated to about 1700 BCE and is said to be a copy of a much older surgical treatise, dating back to the pyramid age of the Old Kingdom of Egypt (about 2686-2181 BCE).

Stanley Finger's fascinating paper, "The Power of a Musical Instrument: Franklin, the Mozarts, Mesmer and the Glass Armonica," was a particularly noteworthy contribution, as was the subsequent counterpoint demonstration-concert of the "glass armonica" by William Wilde Zeitler. As Finger explained, the playing of glass has a long history: early Pythagorians experimented with glass bowls filled with increasing quantities of water, and the history of the East Indian jal tarang (a set of tuned glass or porcelain bowls struck with mallets) similarly illustrates a long interest in the creation of music derived from glass bowls filled with increasing quantities of water.

Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the playing of glass are not as well known, however. Franklin (1706-1790), an inventor who was keenly interested in music, brought his extensive knowledge to the problem of how to eliminate water tuning and constant evaporation from the playing of glass bowls. His solution, the elegant glass armonica, eliminated water tuning by having each glass made with the correct size and thickness to give the desired pitch without being filled with any water. In addition, Franklin made the set of glasses more compact and playable by nesting them inside each other, mounted on a spindle that was turned by a foot treadle. Franklin claimed the glass armonica was his most satisfying invention, yet history shows he also contributed to its demise. Finger explained that even Mozart briefly composed for the glass armonica and Franz Anton Mesmer integrated the music into his séances. Eventually, Mesmer's claim that this music could promote healing by propagating a mystical fluid that he called animal magnetism throughout the body raised questions about the instrument's sweet sound. It seems Franklin was included on a panel of respected scientists who examined Mesmer's claims and their subsequent rejection of these claims discredited mesmerism. Ironically, when Franklin debunked Mesmer's claims, he was also a key player in creating an environment that led to the instrument's long association with madness.

Zeitler, a classically trained musician, quickly brought this story to life in his informal presentation, which...