Scales to Scalpels: Doctors who Practice
the Healing Arts of Music and Medicine
By Lisa M.Wong, M.D. with Robert Viagas
“All congratulations to the Longwood Symphony Orchestra for making the connection between music and medicine so visible and palpable. Following Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s ‘Reverence for Life’ philosophy, Dr. Wong and each of her LSO colleagues serve humanity on so many levels.” --Yo-Yo Ma, cellist The Longwood Symphony Orchestra is not just any orchestra. Founded in 1982 by a group of talented Boston-area physicians, medical students, and health-care professionals, the orchestra has grown into a proud, extraordinary group of musicians with fans around the globe, from El Sistema in Venezuela to other musician-physician groups inspired by the L.S.O.’s work.
In Scales to Scalpels, Dr. Wong shows how the musical acumen of these physicians affects the way they administer healing and, in turn, how their medical work affects their music. How does practicing the art of music transform the art of practicing medicine? From treating stroke patients and helping children relax before receiving a shot, to the revolutionary new discoveries about the neurological interplay between music and the brain, Scales to Scalpels shows how music, medicine, and these remarkable new findings are all part of the larger art of healing and its exciting future.
"Music nurtures, supports, sustains, and empowers every aspect of human existence: emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual. And thus it heals, in ways we recognize and, no doubt, in a myriad of ways yet to be discovered. How natural a companion, then, is music to our medical healers and the art they practice. In her absorbing narrative Dr. Wong provides a loving window into the lives of physicians and medical professionals where healing and music dance in radiant harmony. An inspirational must-read for all who seek lives of joy and contribution."
Mark Churchill
Dean Emeritus, New England Conservatory of Music
Founder and Director, El Sistema USA
Pub Date: May 20th, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-60598-177-2 Page count: 368pp Publisher: Pegasus
