238 Kansas Academy of Science. 



There may be, stored away in the brain of some aurist of to-day, 

 a healthy and practical method whereby one could, at will, shut out 

 all unwelcome sound ; such inventive genius would be a great bene- 

 factor to humanity. Should we consider our question sociologically, 

 certain factors confront us. There is an unrecognized duty, as regards 

 noise, that rests upon a physiological and esthetic basis. Perfection 

 in any organization demands delicacy and accuracy of response to a 

 physiological stimulus ; whatever retards or prevents this must be 

 antagonistic to the welfare of society and to its progress. This is 

 a brutal, noise-making period, prolific of results. The ceaseless 

 bruising of the mind and destruction of the nervous system tend 

 to produce disease and shorten the natural duration of life. The 

 auditory or nervous mechanism with which it is connected must 

 be blunted in sensitiveness, crushed, and stupefied, or a patholog- 

 ical result will follow. 



Imperatively the people are divisible into two classes : First, 

 those whose nervous systems and minds are becoming mechanical- 

 ized, anesthetized, and brutalized ; second, those who, having failed 

 to kill sense and mentality, have developed diseased reaction. 



From this hypothesis we arrive at the following conclusion : 

 That noise may be considered an agency which produces one of 

 two conditions — a sickly or a savage individual. Civilization to- 

 day is bearing upon its bosom a self-poison, the result of which 

 will be its own downfall ; there will be a loss of refinement and 

 delicacy of the senses, and this will produce a retrograde movement 

 toward barbarism. Should this condition prevail with us, then of 

 a necessity we are becoming neurotic, hysteric, and neuresthenic. 

 Society will then progress toward a crowd of the mentally stupid 

 or the hyperesthetically morbid. Social amusement to-day is but 

 a game of battering and spurring, jaded and blunted senses, or at 

 least ministering to sense diseases. 



The medical profession, taken in its narrowest sense, is bound 

 to reduce the amount of noise-making, for noise not only engenders 

 disease, but prevents its cure and hastens to a final termination. 

 Statistics corroborate this statement. It is authentically stated 

 that in the city of Philadelphia there are upward of 4000 needless 

 deaths, and 8000 were made ill each year from purely unnecessary 

 noises. What may be true of Philadelphia is an axiom in regard 

 to other large cities ; while it is impossible to secure exact data 

 upon the points in question, there is a degree of certainty in the 

 hypothesis taken. Many of the sick are kept in their homes, while 

 others are cared for in hospitals, that, unfortunately, are too often 



