Sound And Healing

This paper aims to analyze the relation between sound and healing, by theoretical analysis and case studies.First, I start from the investigation on the connection between disease and culture, move on into the relation of healing and culture, and illustrate how its related discipline-medical anthropology explores between healing and culture. Medical Ethnomusicology, an emerging subdiscipline of ethnomusicology is the key point of my theoretical analysis. I begin with the ways how musicology scholars have done their researches on sound and medicine to describe its focus and methods. Moreover, I explain and analyze about the development, essence and theoretical framework of Medical Ethnomusicology with details.In addition, my case studies focused on traditional therapy of Dai people (Kou Gong) in Xishuangbanna, Yunan, Shamanistic medical ritual in Mongolia and the acoustic therapy of Clifford Hospital in Guangzhou. Besides showing their medical behaviors based on the data of my field research, I tended to give insights about traditional medical view, concept of disease, historical and cultural transformation, its role in local culture in each case. Through my interviews with therapists, healers, patients and participants to comprehend the relationships, including doctor-patient relationship, patient with their family and how patient’s family related to the therapists. Furthermore, I attempt to inquire the subjects in my study and their choice of medical treatment to show the diversity of contemporary clinical medicine and traditional tribal therapy.Lastly, I would like to conclude the results of my theoretical analysis and case studies about the relation between sound and healing. Hope that my exploration of this issue, especially about its future trend and direction will provide some primary.