2.2 Selecting a single voice in a heavily loaded track
Here is something to wonder about: the complex sound-sensation in which all the instruments of the orchestra can be heard separately is contained in one single oscillating track in a gramophone record. The inner ear and the human brain analyse the vibrations that contribute to the complex sound, and recognise familiar 'Gestalts': a horn, a hobo, a singer's voice. These, with many others, heard simultaneously and mixed with the acoustic effects of the recording hall, result in that single sound-trace.
The symphony orchestra is a suitable analogue to the performance of the internal communication systems of living organisms. The symphony of life is being played by an orchestra of chemical oscillators, geared to regulate vital life-functions, in a vivid dialogue with external influences (Chapter 3). Doctors and others in the healing professions can develop a listening attitude and can learn to pick up dominant and weak voices in the systems of their patients. A healthy person is in tune with his natural and cultural environment. Harmony can be disrupted at various levels of human existence: at the level of cell-metabolism, at the level of organs or systems, that of motives and that of personal relations. These levels relate to each other, and harmony is restored when internal and external communication are in tune again.