The use of music against disease is as old as music itself. In fact, early history of music is intimately associated with healing. The wishful thinking of primitive peoples called upon magic for assistance, and magic is almost universally associated with words, chanted words, in rhythmic incantation. Chateaubriand believed that the chant was the offspring of prayers. Among primitive peoples, the medicine-man combined the offices of priest, physician and magician, and although all three functions were closely related, their functions were dissociated on occasion. For instance, there were special songs for the invocation of natural phenomena, for group activities, and for accompaniment of healing rituals. “The belief in the efficacy of musical magic is one of the most important facts in the history of civilization.”[19] Although no records exist, it is fair to assume that the truly primitive peoples of today have not changed markedly from their ancient customs, and that they resemble to some extent the status of prehistoric men. The universality of certain folkways among widely scattered tribes of primitive peoples today lends validity to this theory. For such studies we need look no further than our own continent. Even though certain magical practices have been banned by law, the American Indians number amongst their tribesmen, those who remember and to some extent still use music in healing. Several investigators have become interested in this study, but chief among them is Frances Densmore who has analyzed and recorded the songs of many Indian tribes. Among the Teton Sioux she found[21] that the sick appealed to the tribal medicine man who gave the case some thought and claimed to find the cure in dreams. “All treatment of the sick was in accordance with dreams.” The patient was then placed in a dark tent and the medicine man sang his dream song, as well as songs addressed to the sacred stones. The use of herbs of the agency of magic might accompany the song. An example of one of the songs used to cure wounds has the following text: “Behold all these things something elk-like you behold you will live” Words like these have a certain sophistication which we may assume constitutes a more recent development. For many centuries primitive peoples have had different concepts of the exact nature of disease, but for many of them it connotes some connection between a demoniacal spirit and counter-spirits. There were a great many methods employed to drive out the evil spirits. The idea that music was efficacious in these cases persisted for centuries. Martin Luther said, “The devil is a saturnine spirit and music is hateful to him and drives him away from it.”