Robert Gupta: Between music and medicine

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Eva Cao 校对人员: Jenny Yang

(Music)

（音乐）

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you very much. (Applause)

非常感谢。（掌声）

Thank you. It's a distinct privilege to be here.

谢谢。能在这里演出是我的荣幸。

A few weeks ago, I saw a video on YouTube

几个星期前，我在YouTube上看到一段视频

of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

女性众议员Gabrielle Giffords

at the early stages of her recovery

因为受伤而接受治疗

from one of those awful bullets.

她受伤的原因是被子弹打中。

This one entered her left hemisphere, and

一颗打中她的左脑半球，

knocked out her Broca's area, the speech center of her brain.

进入布洛克区，那是大脑的语言中枢区域。

And in this session, Gabby's working with a speech therapist,

在治疗初期， Gabby找一位语言治疗师

and she's struggling to produce

她要说简单的字也很困难

some of the most basic words, and you can see her

你可以看到

growing more and more devastated, until she ultimately

她感觉越来越绝望，到最后

breaks down into sobbing tears, and she starts sobbing

她奔溃了，眼泪掉了下来

wordlessly into the arms of her therapist.

她在治疗师的怀抱中无言地呜咽

And after a few moments, her therapist tries a new tack,

过了一会儿，治疗师尝试新的方法

and they start singing together,

他们一起唱起歌来

and Gabby starts to sing through her tears,

Gabby 唱起歌，就不哭了

and you can hear her clearly able to enunciate

可以听到她清晰的发音

the words to a song that describe the way she feels,

这首歌的歌词正好描述了她的心情

and she sings, in one descending scale, she sings,

她不停的唱，用下降的音调，不停唱着

"Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine."

"让它闪烁，让它闪烁，让它闪烁。"

And it's a very powerful and poignant reminder of how

这件事有力地提醒我们，

the beauty of music has the ability to speak

美妙的音乐可以表达的

where words fail, in this case literally speak.

是语言无法做到的，我指的是说话的语言。

Seeing this video of Gabby Giffords reminded me

Gabby Giffords的视频让我想到

of the work of Dr. Gottfried Schlaug,

Gottfried Schlaug博士的研究

one of the preeminent neuroscientists studying music and the brain at Harvard,

他是哈佛最德高望重的神经学家之一，研究音乐和大脑

and Schlaug is a proponent of a therapy called

Schlaug支持一个治疗方法

Melodic Intonation Therapy, which has become very popular in music therapy now.

那就是旋律语调疗法，是现在很流行的音乐疗法。

Schlaug found that his stroke victims who were aphasic,

Schlaug 发现他中风的病人失语了，

could not form sentences of three- or four-word sentences,

无法组成3个字或4个字的句子

but they could still sing the lyrics to a song,

但他们仍然能唱歌曲的歌词

whether it was "Happy Birthday To You"

可能是"祝您生日快乐"

or their favorite song by the Eagles or the Rolling Stones.

或他们钟爱的老鹰乐队或滚石乐队的歌曲。

And after 70 hours of intensive singing lessons,

经过70小时密集的歌唱课程

he found that the music was able to literally rewire

他发现音乐真的可以在病人大脑中

the brains of his patients and create a homologous

建立新的连接，在右半脑中

speech center in their right hemisphere

建立类似语言中枢的区域

to compensate for the left hemisphere's damage.

来弥补左半球的伤害

When I was 17, I visited Dr. Schlaug's lab, and in one afternoon

我 17 岁时，参观了 Schlaug 博士的实验室

he walked me through some of the leading research

那天下午，他给我简单介绍了在音乐和大脑方面

on music and the brain -- how musicians had

最领先的研究结果— — 音乐家和非音乐家

fundamentally different brain structure than non-musicians,

的大脑结构完全不同

how music, and listening to music,

音乐和聆听音乐是如何

could just light up the entire brain, from

开启我们整个脑部，

our prefrontal cortex all the way back to our cerebellum,

范围包括前额叶到小脑

how music was becoming a neuropsychiatric modality

音乐是如何应用到神经精神方法中

to help children with autism, to help people struggling

来帮助自闭症儿童，以及生活在

with stress and anxiety and depression,

压力、焦虑、犹豫中的人

how deeply Parkinsonian patients would find that their tremor

听音乐时，帕金森病患者会感到

and their gait would steady when they listened to music,

抽搐减轻了，行走更稳定了

and how late-stage Alzheimer's patients, whose dementia

末期老人痴呆病人的痴呆程度发展到

was so far progressed that they could no longer recognize

他们无法认出自己的家人

their family, could still pick out a tune by Chopin

可是却能够在感情上演奏萧邦的曲子

at the piano that they had learned when they were children.

这是他们还是孩子时学习的曲子

But I had an ulterior motive of visiting Gottfried Schlaug,

我拜访Schlaug时，带着另一个的动机

and it was this: that I was at a crossroads in my life,

那时 我正处于人生的十字路口，

trying to choose between music and medicine.

需要在音乐和医学之间做出选择。

I had just completed my undergraduate, and I was working

我刚刚完成了我的本科，开始工作

as a research assistant at the lab of Dennis Selkoe,

担任Dennis Selkoe的研究助理

studying Parkinson's disease at Harvard, and I had fallen

他在哈佛研究帕金森症，我深爱神经科学

in love with neuroscience. I wanted to become a surgeon.

我想成为一名外科医生。

I wanted to become a doctor like Paul Farmer or Rick Hodes,

生像Paul Farmer或Rick Hodes那样的医生

these kind of fearless men who go into places like Haiti or Ethiopia

他们是无畏的人，前往海地、埃塞俄比亚那样的地方

and work with AIDS patients with multidrug-resistant

帮助得了抗药性肺结核的艾滋病人，

tuberculosis, or with children with disfiguring cancers.

或是帮助

I wanted to become that kind of Red Cross doctor,

我想成为红十字会医生，

that doctor without borders.

无国界医生

On the other hand, I had played the violin my entire life.

另一方面，我一生都在演奏小提琴

Music for me was more than a passion. It was obsession.

激情不足以形容我对音乐的痴迷。

It was oxygen. I was lucky enough to have studied

它是氧气。我非常幸运

at the Juilliard School in Manhattan, and to have played

在曼哈顿茱莉亚音乐学院学习

my debut with Zubin Mehta and the Israeli philharmonic orchestra in Tel Aviv,

我的处女秀在特拉维夫，和祖宾 · 梅塔和和特拉维夫以色列爱乐乐团同台

and it turned out that Gottfried Schlaug

其实Gottfried Schlaug

had studied as an organist at the Vienna Conservatory,

曾经在维也纳音乐学院学研究管风琴专业

but had given up his love for music to pursue a career

但他放弃了对音乐的热爱，致力医学事业

in medicine. And that afternoon, I had to ask him,

那天下午，我不得不问他，

"How was it for you making that decision?"

"您是如何作出这个决定的?"

And he said that there were still times when he wished

他说，有好几次，他希望自己能回去

he could go back and play the organ the way he used to,

像以前一样演奏管风琴

and that for me, medical school could wait,

对我来说，医学院可以先等等

but that the violin simply would not.

但小提琴不可以等

And after two more years of studying music, I decided

两年的音乐学习后，我决定

to shoot for the impossible before taking the MCAT

我要去考MCAT，

and applying to medical school like a good Indian son

像是一个印度好孩子一样，申请医学院

to become the next Dr. Gupta. (Laughter)

要成为下一个古普塔博士。（笑声）

And I decided to shoot for the impossible and I took

我决定挑战不可能的事

an audition for the esteemed Los Angeles Philharmonic.

我报名了著名洛杉矶爱乐乐团的甄选。

It was my first audition, and after three days of playing

这是我第一次甄选，在试演的礼拜

behind a screen in a trial week, I was offered the position.

我在幕后演奏了三天，最后我得到了乐团的工作

And it was a dream. It was a wild dream to perform

那像一场梦。那是一个狂野的梦

in an orchestra, to perform in the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall

在交响乐团演奏，在圣殿级的沃尔特 · 迪斯尼音乐厅演奏

in an orchestra conducted now by the famous Gustavo Dudamel,

由著名的Gustavo Dudamel指挥的乐团中演出，

but much more importantly to me to be surrounded

更重要的是，围绕在我身边的是

by musicians and mentors that became my new family,

即将成为我新的家人的音乐家和导师

my new musical home.

我的音乐之家

But a year later, I met another musician who had also

但一年后，我遇到了另一位音乐家

studied at Juilliard, one who profoundly helped me

他也曾就读茱莉亚，他帮助了我很多

find my voice and shaped my identity as a musician.

帮我找到自己的琴声，和音乐家的个性

Nathaniel Ayers was a double bassist at Juilliard, but

Nathaniel Ayers曾经在茱莉亚学习双重贝斯，

he suffered a series of psychotic episodes in his early 20s,

但是在他 20 岁出头时，他患上一系列精神问题

was treated with thorazine at Bellevue,

需要服用贝尔维，作为镇静剂治疗

and ended up living homeless on the streets of Skid Row

此后的30年中，他在洛杉矶市中心

in downtown Los Angeles 30 years later.

Skid Row 的街头无家可归

Nathaniel's story has become a beacon for homelessness

Nathaniel的故事已成为整个美国

and mental health advocacy throughout the United States,

帮助流浪者和精神健康运动的典型例子

as told through the book and the movie "The Soloist,"

在《独奏者》这本书和同名电影讲的就是他的故事

but I became his friend, and I became his violin teacher,

但我成了他的朋友，还是他的小提琴老师，

and I told him that wherever he had his violin,

我告诉他，无论何处，只要他带着他的琴

and wherever I had mine, I would play a lesson with him.

我带着我的琴，我就会给他上课，

And on the many times I saw Nathaniel on Skid Row,

很多次，我在Skid Row看到Nathaniel，

I witnessed how music was able to bring him back

我亲眼目睹了音乐如何把他

from his very darkest moments, from what seemed to me

从最黑暗的时期，拯救回来

in my untrained eye to be

那是在我这个没受训练的人看来

the beginnings of a schizophrenic episode.

他像是精神分裂症的前期。

Playing for Nathaniel, the music took on a deeper meaning,

为Nathaniel的演奏，音乐有了更深一层的含义，

because now it was about communication,

因为它像是沟通

a communication where words failed, a communication

这个沟通无法用语言传达，

of a message that went deeper than words, that registered

信息比语言到达地更深层，

at a fundamentally primal level in Nathaniel's psyche,

达到了Nathaniel的心灵中真我的层次

yet came as a true musical offering from me.

对我来说，也是音乐真正的馈赠

I found myself growing outraged that someone

我发现自己对流浪者的现象越来越气愤，

like Nathaniel could have ever been homeless on Skid Row

Nathaniel因为精神疾病无家可归，

because of his mental illness, yet how many tens of thousands

像他一样，Skid Row里成千上百的人

of others there were out there on Skid Row alone

独自流浪街头

who had stories as tragic as his, but were never going to have a book or a movie

他们之所以流浪，也有背后悲惨的故事，

made about them that got them off the streets?

但没能写成书，拍成电影

And at the very core of this crisis of mine, I felt somehow

在我人生危机最急迫的时候，

the life of music had chosen me, where somehow,

我感到，音乐人生选择了我，

perhaps possibly in a very naive sense, I felt what Skid Row

或许可能很天真的意义上来说，

really needed was somebody like Paul Farmer

我觉得Skid Row真正需要的是Paul Farmer那样的医生

and not another classical musician playing on Bunker Hill.

而不是Bunker Hill的古典音乐家。

But in the end, it was Nathaniel who showed me

但最终，是Nathaniel告诉了我

that if I was truly passionate about change,

我是否真的要转到另一个领域

if I wanted to make a difference, I already had the perfect instrument to do it,

如果我要选择换一条路，我已经有最好的工具帮助我

that music was the bridge that connected my world and his.

那就是音乐，连接着我和他世界的桥梁。

There's a beautiful quote

有一句美丽的名言

by the Romantic German composer Robert Schumann,

是德国浪漫派作曲家罗伯特·舒曼说的

who said, "To send light into the darkness of men's hearts,

“用光照亮人们内心的黑暗，”

such is the duty of the artist."

“这是艺术家的责任。”

And this is a particularly poignant quote

其实这句名言的背后也有残酷的故事

because Schumann himself suffered from schizophrenia

因为舒曼自己受精神分裂症煎熬，

and died in asylum.

最后在庇护所去世

And inspired by what I learned from Nathaniel,

我从Nathaniel那里学到的东西驱使我

I started an organization on Skid Row of musicians

开始组建一个由Skid Row 流浪音乐家组成的组织

called Street Symphony, bringing the light of music

称为“街交响乐团”，为的是用音乐之光

into the very darkest places, performing

照亮最黑暗的地方，

for the homeless and mentally ill at shelters and clinics

为Skid Row庇护所和诊所中的无家可归者和精神病人表演

on Skid Row, performing for combat veterans

为患有创伤后遗症的退伍老兵表演

with post-traumatic stress disorder, and for the incarcerated

为在监狱里服刑，为那些

and those labeled as criminally insane.

有犯罪精神问题的人表演

After one of our events at the Patton State Hospital

我们去圣贝纳迪诺巴顿州立医院表演

in San Bernardino, a woman walked up to us

结束后，一名女子走到我们跟前

and she had tears streaming down her face,

泪珠顺着她的脸留下来，

and she had a palsy, she was shaking,

她患有麻痹症，会不停地在颤抖，

and she had this gorgeous smile, and she said

她笑得很灿烂，她告诉我们，

that she had never heard classical music before,

她之前从没通过古典音乐，

she didn't think she was going to like it, she had never

她觉得自己不会喜欢，

heard a violin before, but that hearing this music was like hearing the sunshine,

没有我们的话，她永远不会听到小提琴，但我们的音乐像是阳光一般，

and that nobody ever came to visit them, and that for the first time in six years,

之前从未有人来过，这是六年来的头一次

when she heard us play, she stopped shaking without medication.

她听到我们的演奏，即使没有服药，她停止了颤抖。

Suddenly, what we're finding with these concerts,

突然间，我们找到了演奏会

away from the stage, away from the footlights, out

舞台，灯光，燕尾服

of the tuxedo tails, the musicians become the conduit

音乐家成为强大的治疗渠道

for delivering the tremendous therapeutic benefits

把有利于治疗的音乐传送到

of music on the brain to an audience that would never

听众的大脑里

have access to this room,

这些听众以前是不可能听到

would never have access to the kind of music that we make.

我们演奏的这种音乐

Just as medicine serves to heal more

这样的音乐就像良药

than the building blocks of the body alone,

它的治愈效果不仅仅是修补身体

the power and beauty of music transcends the "E"

它的力量和美超越了“E”

in the middle of our beloved acronym.

“E”是我们敬爱的人的首字母缩写中间的那个字母

Music transcends the aesthetic beauty alone.

音乐超越了单独的审美

The synchrony of emotions that we experience when we

听到瓦格纳的歌剧、勃拉姆斯的交响乐，或贝多芬的室内乐

hear an opera by Wagner, or a symphony by Brahms,

会体验到步调一致的感情，·

or chamber music by Beethoven, compels us to remember

这必定会唤起我们的记忆

our shared, common humanity, the deeply communal

那是我们共享的共通的人性，

connected consciousness, the empathic consciousness

互相紧密意识联结，和同情心

that neuropsychiatrist Iain McGilchrist says is hard-wired

根据神经心理学家Iain McGilchrist，以上这些

into our brain's right hemisphere.

在我们的右脑中是天生的

And for those living in the most dehumanizing conditions

那些在最差的条件下生活的

of mental illness within homelessness

患有精神疾病的流浪汉和监狱犯人

and incarceration, the music and the beauty of music

音乐和音乐的美

offers a chance for them to transcend the world around them,

提供他们机会，看到他们世界以外的东西

to remember that they still have the capacity to experience

让他们知道，他们任由能力体验

something beautiful and that humanity has not forgotten them.

美妙的事物，社会没有遗忘他们

And the spark of that beauty, the spark of that humanity

音乐的美，人性的美的火花

transforms into hope,

转化成希望

and we know, whether we choose the path of music

我们知道，无理论我们选择音乐事业，

or of medicine, that's the very first thing we must instill

或医学事业，首要一点是

within our communities, within our audiences,

我们渗透到我们的社区和观众中

if we want to inspire healing from within.

这样才能启发从内而外治疗

I'd like to end with a quote by John Keats,

我要用英国浪漫诗人约翰·济慈的一句名言

the Romantic English poet,

结束我的演讲

a very famous quote that I'm sure all of you know.

我相信你们都知道这句著名的名言

Keats himself had also given up a career in medicine

济慈当年同样放弃了医学事业

to pursue poetry, but he died when he was a year older than me.

投生诗歌创作，但他去世的年纪，比我现在的年龄大一岁

And Keats said, "Beauty is truth, and truth beauty.

济慈说，"美是真理，真相是美。

That is all ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know."

这是你们所知道的地球，和你们需要知道的全部。

(Music)

（音乐）

(Applause)

（掌声）