Psycho-Acoustics: Applied and Misapplied
Harold Burris-Meyer · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1957
Until the mid 1930's, the effect of sound on man was the subject of more speculation than investigation. Occasional frightening demonstrations, such as the brain storm scene from Elmer Rice's Adding Machine reported to this society in 1939, only helped to perpetuate myths about the auditory lethal ray, the sound which would drive people mad, the inaudible sound which paralyzes. In 1940 the National Defense Research Committee addressed itself to the problem of discovering effects of sound on man which might aid the war effort. In 1941 a pilot project was established to investigate and to devise means and procedures for applying useful phenomena if any should be discovered. The activity of this project was sometimes successful, sometimes not, but always spectacular. This paper treats of early applications, some not previously disclosed, instructive though unsuccessful experiments, and subsequent related developments.