Historical Review of the Relationship Between Medicine and Music

In conversation with Professor Dr. Darko Breitenfeld, internationally acclaimed social psychiatrist, alcohologist and one of the pioneers of Musicotherapy in Europe

The first episode of B-AIR Soundings tackled the topic of music and epilepsy and talked about the efforts in the field of Neurological Sciences to understand the mechanisms underlying potential impacts of music on the brain in cases of hardened epilepsy.

In this episode we're looking into history, to a time when this discipline didn't posses technical knowledge or possibilities to observe different illnesses at the level of molecular-genetic and micro-structural details; nevertheless, they were able to grasp the significance of a particular disease in its social environment, the influence of relevant socioeconomic and cultural factors, and react to these observations if they identified a problem: in the society, man's immediate environment, marginal living situations and unacknowledged special needs of large groups of people of all ages (developmentally challenged children, alcoholics, elderly). In those pioneer times, was music also considered a tool that might help, what types of research developed in the process and what remained relevant today? In next episodes we're talking with experts of different orientations to present a variety of arguments gathered in the field of Neurology, especially Neurophysiology and Neuropsychology, but in this episode, we're looking at its beginnings: Pediatric Neurologist Prim. Igor Mihael Ravnik in conversation with Professor dr. Darko Breitenfeld, a Specialist in Neuropsychiatry, acclaimed Social Psychiatrist and Alcohologist, still actively engaged with the Club for Recovered Alcoholics in Zagreb (Croatia), is not only an expert in the History of Medicine with particular interest in the ailments of renowned musical artists, but also a Pioneer of Musicotherapy in Central Europe.

Credits

Author and Host • Igor M Ravnik

Guest • Darko Breitenfeld

Editors • Saška Rakef, Tina Ogrin

Anchors • Barbara Zupan, Renato Horvat

Sound Designer • Miha Klemenčič

Technical support and Coordination • Anže Ančimer

Proofreading • Mojca Blažej Cirej

Produced by • Radio Slovenija, B-AIR

Premiere • 18th of February 2021