An entry in the Houshold Cyclopedia of 1881 by Henry Hartshorne, Professor of Hygiene in the University of Pennsylvania (and therefore an Eminent Authority):
Wind Instruments.
All these are more or less hurtful to the lungs, which they
weaken, by introducing much air, and keeping that organ
too long in a state of distention. On this account,
persons of weak lungs, who play much on the flute,
hautboy, or French horn, are frequently afflicted with
spitting of blood, cough, shortness of breath, and pulmonary
consumption. Blowing those instruments likewise
checks the circulation of the blood through the
lungs, accumulates it towards the head, and disposes
such persons to apoplexy.
"Household", of course.
You can download the entirety of this entertaining and informative work (detailed instructions on how to perform an amputation, for example!) from http://www.mspong.org/cyclopedia/download.html
I think the good Professor may have had a point. He was writing in the second half of the 19th century when there were a lot of serious respiratory diseases around which are relatively easy to control today, and the expectation of life was a lot less then than it is today.
He referred to the hautboy (today known as the oboe). When you play that instrument you are blowing a stream of air under high pressure through a very narrow gap between two reeds, and are in effect holding your breath for considerable periods of time when you are playing. Today, oboe players are trained to do breathing exercises during rests in the music.
I expect the doctor saw thousands of patients with chronic respiratory complaints and in general poor health, and some of them would have played wind instruments, which would not have been a good idea in view of their poor state of health.
lifes too short to worry about dying from whistle/highland pipes/other wind intruments. you should clean the intrument, depending what it is, with a disinectant. othewise bacteria and germs build up.
Listen to Seamus Tansey play tunes and talk about John Joe Gardiner: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/ceilihouse/rams/24july.ram (starts 19:20) From around 26:30, he tells us the story of his mother discouraging him from playing the flute.
Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
An entry in the Houshold Cyclopedia of 1881 by Henry Hartshorne, Professor of Hygiene in the University of Pennsylvania (and therefore an Eminent Authority):
Wind Instruments.
All these are more or less hurtful to the lungs, which they
weaken, by introducing much air, and keeping that organ
too long in a state of distention. On this account,
persons of weak lungs, who play much on the flute,
hautboy, or French horn, are frequently afflicted with
spitting of blood, cough, shortness of breath, and pulmonary
consumption. Blowing those instruments likewise
checks the circulation of the blood through the
lungs, accumulates it towards the head, and disposes
such persons to apoplexy.
Gosh! Am I glad I play the fiddle
# Posted on May 29th 2006 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
"Household", of course.
You can download the entirety of this entertaining and informative work (detailed instructions on how to perform an amputation, for example!) from http://www.mspong.org/cyclopedia/download.html
# Posted on May 29th 2006 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
Wow. That's disturbing . . . about the amputations that is . . . makes me glad that I've never played a wind instrument too though.
# Posted on May 29th 2006 by musicfan
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
Now i know whats wrong with me!.......
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by fionarua
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
I think the good Professor may have had a point. He was writing in the second half of the 19th century when there were a lot of serious respiratory diseases around which are relatively easy to control today, and the expectation of life was a lot less then than it is today.
He referred to the hautboy (today known as the oboe). When you play that instrument you are blowing a stream of air under high pressure through a very narrow gap between two reeds, and are in effect holding your breath for considerable periods of time when you are playing. Today, oboe players are trained to do breathing exercises during rests in the music.
I expect the doctor saw thousands of patients with chronic respiratory complaints and in general poor health, and some of them would have played wind instruments, which would not have been a good idea in view of their poor state of health.
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
lifes too short to worry about dying from whistle/highland pipes/other wind intruments. you should clean the intrument, depending what it is, with a disinectant. othewise bacteria and germs build up.
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by rob_handel
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
Do you think playing tunes like "Pigeon at the gate" "Cockoo's nest" an so others makes me more vulnerable to aviar flu???
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by Albogue
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
Listen to Seamus Tansey play tunes and talk about John Joe Gardiner: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/ceilihouse/rams/24july.ram (starts 19:20) From around 26:30, he tells us the story of his mother discouraging him from playing the flute.
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by slainte
Re: Dangerous stuff, playing wind instruments ...
you've got to be 'ard to play the flute!
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by Scrappy the Godo