Study Notes on 'Disease Is Unrhythmical': Jazz, Health, and Disability in 1920s America

Title: ‘Disease Is Unrhythmical’: Jazz, Health, and Disability in 1920s America
Author: Russell L. Johnson
Source: Health and History, Vol. 13, No. 2 (2011), pages 13-42.
Published By: Australian and New Zealand Society of the History of Medicine, Inc.
Stable URL: JSTOR

The 1920s are remembered as the Jazz Age, reflecting significant cultural transformation in America.
Jazz emerged prominently from African American musical traditions, particularly in New Orleans before WWI.
Post-WWI, jazz proliferated across the United States, notably in northern cities as African Americans migrated northward.

Despite its popularity, criticisms regarding jazz were prominent, particularly related to perceptions of disability.
Jazz was viewed by some critics as both defective (leading to mental and physical impairments) and as music that itself was disabled.
Early reactions included claims that jazz caused health impairments, paralleling fears rooted in longstanding beliefs about music and health linked to eugenics and rehabilitation ideologies.

The Salvation Army in Cincinnati sought to prevent a jazz-influenced movie theatre from being built near their maternity hospital, fearing jazz's influence on future generations.
Critics described jazz using terms such as pathological, infection, virus, epidemic, and cancer, associating it with national moral and physical decay.
Terms of criticism reflect a historical context linking music to health, dating back to ancient belief systems, where music was connected to emotional and mental wellness.

Critics likened jazz music to “epileptic fragments”, claiming it lacked coherence and musical integrity.
Anne Shaw Faulkner claimed jazz made music's core elements—rhythm, melody, and harmony—out of tune with one another.
Walter Damrosch, a conductor, stated that jazz stifled true musical instinct, while Daniel Gregory Mason criticized it as the “doggerel of music.”
Dances associated with jazz, such as the Charleston, were labeled as violent and disjointed, akin to ‘walking with gyrations that are primitive and monotonous’.

Historically, the idea that music could have physical and mental health benefits dates back to ancient civilizations.
The relationship between music and health gained renewed interest during and after WWI, during which music was employed therapeutically, especially for those suffering from shell shock.
Eva Augusta Vescelius highlighted the belief that “disease is unrhythmical, health is rhythmical,” advocating for music's therapeutic value.

Despite criticisms, many proponents argued that jazz could improve physical and mental health. Paul Whiteman, referred to as the “King of Jazz,” claimed jazz revitalized individuals by restoring joy and health.
Jazz was celebrated for its energizing effects, claimed to offer a remedy against the harshness of modern life.
Examples given include jazz as a form of therapeutic exercise, positively influencing emotional states and body health.

Within the discourse, jazz also became entangled with the eugenics movement of the 1920s, which advocated for improving the human race through selective breeding.
Defenders of jazz argued that it promoted physical viability and aesthetic beauty in accordance with eugenic beliefs.
Conversely, critics leveraged eugenic rhetoric to argue that jazz represented a degeneration of cultural standards.

Jazz encompassed both “sweet” (commercially viable, often orchestral) and “hot” (improvisational, rooted in African American traditions) styles. This distinction was crucial to how jazz was understood culturally.
Some considered sweet jazz uplifting and rehabilitative, while hot jazz was often labeled as “dangerous.”

The concept of rehabilitation, which gained prominence post-WWI, became relevant in discussions about jazz. Critics and proponents alike sought to rationalize jazz's effects to fit a societal norm.
Some argued jazz could be rehabilitated from its “unrhythmical” nature to become more aligned with conventional artistic expectations.

The debates surrounding jazz in the 1920s intersected with broader themes of health, disability, and societal norms.
Jazz policies and public opinion reflected ongoing tensions between artistic freedom and health-related societal fears.
Ultimately, while jazz was at times called a threat to health, many found it essential for enriching modern life and reflecting the realities of an evolving cultural landscape.

Previous versions were presented at various academic conferences and seminars, with editorial contributions from peers and scholars in the field.