# Concentration of sound **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 27, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-of-sound/276813 "2004-11-27T01:17:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kunawai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5fc32e/32.png) [@kunawai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunawai)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-of-sound/276813/1 "2004-11-27T01:17:37Z")
Physically, I know light and sound are different. However, in medicine, sound has been used to produce “lesions” in the brain, e.g. to treat Parkinsonism. The drawback was that sound cannot penetrate the skull so large craniotomies(windows in the skull surgically placed) had to be made first to allow the sound waves to pass into the brain. Several transducers on different trajectories or paths were then concentrated on the area to be destroyed by the sound waves and the cumulative effect of the sound waves meeting at that point would cause a “lesion”. And, I guess you know that sound is used to explore internal body parts in the abdomen, heart, etc. by a technique known as sonography. kunawai ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-of-sound/276813/2 "2004-11-28T09:30:40Z")
Do you have a cite for the treatment you discribe? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-of-sound/276813/3 "2004-11-28T12:20:23Z")
Hi **kunawai** welcome to the SDMB. I think the column youre referring to is [Why isn’t there an audio equivalent of the laser?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_114.html). If it is, there is a current thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=288054). ---
**Author:** ![oh\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b38774/32.png) [@oh\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oh_s)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-of-sound/276813/4 "2004-12-13T12:23:31Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > Hi **kunawai** welcome to the SDMB. I think the column youre referring to is [Why isn’t there an audio equivalent of the laser?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_114.html). If it is, there is a current thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=288054). ``` That's a very interesting question, but I thought cocerntrated sound waves would be best used to blow things up. Here's a thought, what about a micrcowave equivalent to laser mounted on a satellite? ``` ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-of-sound/276813/5 "2004-12-14T02:39:03Z")
> [@oh&s](#): > > That’s a very interesting question, but I thought cocerntrated sound waves would be best used to blow things up. And indeed it is, such as kidney stones. > [@oh&s](#): > > Here’s a thought, what about a micrcowave equivalent to laser mounted on a satellite? Hey yeah! We could call, it, what, I don’t know, a [Maser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maser) ! ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-of-sound/276813/6 "2004-12-14T22:36:08Z")
microwave != sound