One of my most favourite environments is the traditional ryad in Morocco. One of THE loveliest hotels I’ve ever stayed in was in Marrakech. I especially like the internal courtyard, with a fountain, and in the one where I stayed, there were orange trees growing there. Every late afternoon, traditional musicians would sit and play in the courtyard and we’d drink mint tea while relaxing in the alcoves.
So, I was particularly taken by this piece on the Guardian’s website about doctors playing music to their patients in Turkey
“It’s complementary treatment. Without having to prescribe additional drugs, five to 10 minutes of a certain musical piece lowers the heart rate and blood pressure. “Medieval hospitals were built around a courtyard with a fountain. The sound of the water, the colours of glass windows, the intensity of the light, the types of flowers and plants – all of it was part of the complementary treatment of patients,” Sönmez explains. “We are thinking of changing the light in the intensive care unit to pink,” he adds with a smile. “Pink light has a soothing effect.”
Here’s my vote for re-learning what those medieval hospitals got right! Too often “progress” and “modernity” means rubbishing the past and losing so much valuable knowledge. Imagine how health care could be transformed by this kind of attention to both the environment and the arts, and not reducing our focus to a materialistic concept of the body.
Heroes Not Zombies 
There is a nice story of Pythagoras, who was walking down the road with some students. A man exited his house, having a fight with his woman. He closed the door and tried to set fire to the house. Across the road a man was playing a flute. The tune was a very exciting one and not very harmonious. Pythagoras walked over to him and asked him to play a love song. Within 2 minutes, the arguing man stopped the fire, went inside and made up with his spouse. Pythagoras explained to his disciples the power of music from this event.
He was also of the opinion that certain types of music should never be played.
Kaviraj, I really liked the story and I smiled at your last sentence! In the music scene I am interested in (traditional Scottish/Irish) there are constant jokes about banjo players and certainly the Scottish pipes should never be played indoors . Indeed, in relation to this apparently the piper playing at the landings in the 2nd world war stood playing –apparently he wasn’t shot as the German thought he was insane. Whether this is true or not its a good story!
However, one of my own most powerful memories is walking into the Cullin mountains on the Isle of Skye listening to a piper playing high in remote mountain corrie. It was an incredible experience .
Bob, I am glad you enjoyed the piece . Yes, I am sure spaces and places are hugely important and the view from the clinic at your hospital into the garden is particularly inspiring.
Esther Sternberg, a rheumatologist wrote a book on the research behind the environmental influences in healthcare and came to same conclusions as yourself- that the ‘temples of Hygeia’are good for you!. With regards to sound, the recent programme on radio four describing entrainment with synchronised heart rhythms with sound was fascinating. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012mzsp
As I get older I am more sensitive to all these sensory experiences . I am sure if you are vulnerable , ill or generally suffering the body can be calmed or aggravated by sensory experiences. It makes you wonder about the wisdom of day time TV , radio one and striplights in many health settings!
As a boy I had an amazing experience of Morocco as we visited two local families there.
I have never enjoyed oranges since, as they simply do not compare with the oranges from the trees in the garden of the family we lived with.
Try tell a Gardner or a farmer that environment doesn’t matter. It matters. It matters to plants, it matters to people. It matters even more when recovering from illness. Any Gardner knows this.