the black death and the dancing mania-第20章

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elves　remarkable；　deviate　from　the　laws　of　moral　propriety。　　Powerful　sexual　excitement　had　often　the　most　decided　influence　over　their　condition。　　Many　of　them　exposed　themselves　in　the　most　indecent　manner；　tore　their　hair　out　by　the　roots；　with　howling　and　gnashing　of　their　teeth；　and　when；　as　was　sometimes　the　case；　their　unsatisfied　passion　hurried　them　on　to　a　state　of　frenzy；　they　closed　their　existence　by　self　destruction；　it　being　common　at　that　time　for　these　unfortunate　beings　to　precipitate　themselves　into　the　wells。

It　might　hence　seem　that；　owing　to　the　conduct　of　patients　of　this　description；　so　much　of　fraud　and　falsehood　would　be　mixed　up　with　the　original　disorder　that；　having　passed　into　another　complaint；　it　must　have　been　itself　destroyed。　　This；　however；　did　not　happen　in　the　first　half　of　the　seventeenth　century；　for；　as　a　clear　proof　that　tarantism　remained　substantially　the　same　and　quite　unaffected　by　hysteria；　there　were　in　many　places；　and　in　particular　at　Messapia；　fewer　women　affected　than　men；　who；　in　their　turn；　were　in　no　small　proportion　led　into　temptation　by　sexual　excitement。　　In　other　places；　as；　for　example；　at　Brindisi；　the　case　was　reversed；　which　may；　as　in　other　complaints；　be　in　some　measure　attributable　to　local　causes。　　Upon　the　whole　it　appears；　from　concurrent　accounts；　that　women　by　no　means　enjoyed　the　distinction　of　being　attacked　by　tarantism　more　frequently　than　men。

It　is　said　that　the　cicatrix　of　the　tarantula　bite；　on　the　yearly　or　half…yearly　return　of　the　fit；　became　discoloured；　but　on　this　point　the　distinct　testimony　of　good　observers　is　wanting　to　deprive　the　assertion　of　its　utter　improbability。

It　is　not　out　of　place　to　remark　here　that；　about　the　same　time　that　tarantism　attained　its　greatest　height　in　Italy；　the　bite　of　venomous　spiders　was　more　feared　in　distant　parts　of　Asia　likewise　than　it　had　ever　been　within　the　memory　of　man。　　There　was　this　difference；　howeverthat　the　symptoms　supervening　on　the　occurrence　of　this　accident　were　not　accompanied　by　the　Apulian　nervous　disorder；　which；　as　has　been　shown　in　the　foregoing　pages；　had　its　origin　rather　in　the　melancholic　temperament　of　the　inhabitants　of　the　south　of　Italy　than　in　the　nature　of　the　tarantula　poison　itself。　　This　poison　is　therefore；　doubtless；　to　be　considered　only　as　a　remote　cause　of　the　complaint；　which；　but　for　that　temperament；　would　be　inadequate　to　its　production。　　The　Persians　employed　a　very　rough　means　of　counteracting　the　bad　consequences　of　a　poison　of　this　sort。　　They　drenched　the　wounded　person　with　milk；　and　then；　by　a　violent　rotatory　motion　in　a　suspended　box；　compelled　him　to　vomit。


SECT。　6DECREASE


The　Dancing　Mania；　arising　from　the　tarantula　bite；　continued　with　all　those　additions　of　self…deception　and　of　the　dissimulation　which　is　such　a　constant　attendant　on　nervous　disorders　of　this　kind；　through　the　whole　course　of　the　seventeenth　century。　　It　was　indeed；　gradually　on　the　decline；　but　up　to　the　termination　of　this　period　showed　such　extraordinary　symptoms　that　Baglivi；　one　of　the　best　physicians　of　that　time；　thought　he　did　a　service　to　science　by　making　them　the　subject　of　a　dissertation。　　He　repeats　all　the　observations　of　Ferdinando；　and　supports　his　own　assertions　by　the　experience　of　his　father；　a　physician　at　Lecce；　whose　testimony；　as　an　eye…witness；　may　be　admitted　as　unexceptionable。

The　immediate　consequences　of　the　tarantula　bite；　the　supervening　nervous　disorder；　and　the　aberrations　and　fits　of　those　who　suffered　from　hysteria；　he　describes　in　a　masterly　style；　not　does　he　ever　suffer　his　credulity　to　diminish　the　authenticity　of　his　account；　of　which　he　has　been　unjustly　accused　by　later　writers。

Finally；　tarantism　has　declined　more　and　more　in　modern　times；　and　is　now　limited　to　single　cases。　　How　could　it　possibly　have　maintained　itself　unchanged　in　the　eighteenth　century；　when　all　the　links　which　connected　it　with　the　Middle　Ages　had　long　since　been　snapped　asunder？　　Imposture　grew　more　frequent；　and　wherever　the　disease　still　appeared　in　its　genuine　form；　its　chief　cause；　namely；　a　peculiar　cast　of　melancholy；　which　formerly　had　been　the　temperament　of　thousands；　was　now　possessed　only　occasionally　by　unfortunate　individuals。　　It　might；　therefore；　not　unreasonably　be　maintained　that　the　tarantism　of　modern　times　bears　nearly　the　same　relation　to　the　original　malady　as　the　St。　Vitus's　dance　which　still　exists；　and　certainly　has　all　along　existed；　bears；　in　certain　cases；　to　the　original　dancing　mania　of　the　dancers　of　St。　John。

To　conclude。　　Tarantism；　as　a　real　disease；　has　been　denied　in　toto；　and　stigmatised　as　an　imposition　by　most　physicians　and　naturalists；　who　in　this　controversy　have　shown　the　narrowness　of　their　views　and　their　utter　ignorance　of　history。　　In　order　to　support　their　opinion　they　have　instituted　some　experiments　apparently　favourable　to　it；　but　under　circumstances　altogether　inapplicable；　since；　for　the　most　part；　they　selected　as　the　subjects　of　them　none　but　healthy　men；　who　were　totally　uninfluenced　by　a　belief　in　this　once　so　dreaded　disease。　　From　individual　instances　of　fraud　and　dissimulation；　such　as　are　found　in　connection　with　most　nervous　affections　without　rendering　their　reality　a　matter　of　any　doubt；　they　drew　a　too　hasty　conclusion　respecting　the　general　phenomenon；　of　which　they　appeared　not　to　know　that　it　had　continued　for　nearly　four　hundred　years；　having　originated　in　the　remotest　periods　of　the　Middle　Ages。　　The　most　learned　and　the　most　acute　among　these　sceptics　is　Serao　the　Neapolitan。　　His　reasonings　amount　to　this；　that　he　considers　the　disease　to　be　a　very　marked　form　of　melancholia；　and　compares　the　effect　of　the　tarantula　bite　upon　it　to　stimulating　with　spurs　a　horse　which　is　already　running。　　The　reality　of　that　effect　he　thus　admits；　and；　therefore；　directly　confirms　what　in　appearance　only　he　denies。　　By　shaking　the　already　vacillating　belief　in　this　disorder　he　is　said　to　have　actually　succeeded　in　rendering　it　less　frequent；　and　in　setting　bounds　to　imposture；　but　this　no　more　disproves　the　reality　of　its　existence　than　the　oft　repeated　detection　of　imposition　has　been　able　in　modern　times　to　banish　magnetic　sleep　from　the　circle　of　natural　phenomena；　though　such　detection　has；　on　its　side；　rendered　more　rare　the　incontestable　effects　of　animal　magnetism。　　Other　physicians　and　naturalists　have　delivered　their　sentiments　on　tarantism；　but　as　they　have　not　possessed　an　enlarged　knowledge　of　its　history　their　views　do　not　merit　particular　exposition。　　It　is　sufficient　for　the　comprehension　of　everyone　that　we　have　presented　the　facts　from　all　extraneous　speculation。



CHAPTER　IIITHE　DANCING　MANIA　IN　ABYSSINIA



SECT。　1TIGRETIER


Both　the　St。　Vitus's　dance　and　tarantism　belonged　to　the　ages　in　which　they　appeared。　　They　could　not　have　existed　under　the　same　latitude　at　any　other　epoch；　for　at　no　other　period　were　the　circumstances　which　prepared　the　way　for　them　combined　in　a　similar　relation　to　each　other；　and　the　mental　as　well　as　corporeal　temperaments　of　nations；　which　depend　on　causes　such　as　have　been　stated；　are　as　little　capable　of　renewal　as　the　different　stages　of　life　in　individuals。　　This　gives　so　much　the　more　importance　to　a　disease　but　cursorily　alluded　to　in　the　foregoing　pages；　which　exists　in　Abyssinia；　and　which　nearly　resembles　the　original　mania　of　the　St。　John's　dancers；　inasmuch　as　it　exhibits　a　perfectly　similar　ecstasy；　with　the　same　violent　effect　on　the　nerves　of　motion。　　It　occurs　most　frequently　in　the　Tigre　country；　being　thence　call　Tigretier；　and　is　probably　the　same　malady　which　is　called　in　Ethiopian　language　Astaragaza。　　On　this　subject　we　will　introduce　the　testimony　of　Nathaniel　Pearce；　an　eye…witness；　who　resided　nine　years　in　Abyssinia。　　〃The　Tigretier；〃　he　says　he；　〃is　more　common　among　the　women　than　among　the　men。　　It　seizes　the　body　as　if　with　a　violent　fever；　and　from　that　turns　to　a　lingering　sickness；　which　reduces　the　patients　to　skeletons；　and　often　kills　them　if　the　relations　cannot　procure　the　proper　remedy。　　During　this　sickness　their　speech　is　changed　to　a　kind　of　stuttering；　which　no　one　can　understand　but　those　afflicted　with　the　same　disorder。　　When　the　relations　find　the　malady　to　be　the　real　tigretier；　they　join　together　to　defray　the　expense　of　curing　it；　the　first　remedy　they　in　general　attempt　is　to　procure　the　assistance　of　a　learned　Dofter；　who　reads　the　Gospel　of　St。　John；　and　drenches　the　patient　with　cold　water　daily　for　the　space　of　seven　days；　an　application　that　very　often　proves　fatal。　　The　most　effectual　cure；　though　far　more　expensive　than　the　former；　is　as　follows：…　The　relations　hire　for　a　certain　sum　of　money　a　band　of　trumpeters；　drummers；　and　fifers；　and　buy　a　quantity　of　liquor；　then　all　the　young　men　and　women　of　the　place　assemble　at　the　patient's　house　to　perform　the　following　most　extraordinary　ceremony。

〃I　was　once　called　in　by　a　neighbour　to　see　his　wife；　a　very　young　woman；　who　had　the　misfortune　to　be　afflicted　with　this　disorder；　and　the　man　being　an　old　acquaintance　of　mine；　and　always　a　close　comrade　in　the　camp；　I　went　every　day；　when　at　home；　to　see　her；　but　I　could　not　be　of　any　service　to　her；　though　she　never　refused　my　medicines。　　At　this　time　I　could　not　understand　a　word　she　said；　although　she　talked　very　freely；　nor　could　any　of　her　relations　understand　her。　　She　could　not　bear　the　sight　of　a　book　or　a　priest；　for　at　the　sight　of　either　she　struggled；　and　was　apparently　seized　with　acute　agony；　and　a　flood　of　tears；　like　blood　mingled　with　water；　would　pour　down　her　face　from　her　eyes。　She　had　lain　three　months　in　this　lingering　state；　living　upon　so　little　that　it　seemed　not　enough　to　keep　a　human　body　alive；　at　last　her　husband　agreed　to　employ　the　usual　remedy；　and；　after　preparing　for　the　maintenance　of　the　band　during　the　time　it　would　take　to　effect　the　cure；　he　borrowed　from　all　his　neighbours　their　silver　ornaments；　and　loaded　her　legs；　arms　and　neck　with　them。

〃The　evening　that　the　band　began　to　play　I　seated　myself　close　by　her　side　as　she　lay　upon　the　couch；　and　about　two　minutes　after　the　trumpets　had　begun　to　sound　I　observed　her　shoulders　begin　to　move；　and　soon　afterwards　her　head　and　breast；　and　in　less　than　a　quarter　of　an　hour　she　sat　upon　her　couch。　　The　wild　look　she　had；　though　sometimes　she　smiled；　made　me　draw　off　to　a　greater　distance；　being　almost　alarmed　to　see　one　nearly　a　skeleton　move　with　such　strength；　her　head；　neck；　shoulders；　hands　and　feet　all　made　a　strong　motion　to　the　sound　of　the　music；　and　in　this　manner　she　went　on　by　degrees；　until　she　stood　up　on　her　legs　upon　the　floor。　　Afterwards　she　began　to　dance；　and　at　times　to　jump　about；　and　at　last；　as　the　music　and　noise　of　the　singers　increased；　she　often　sprang　three　feet　from　the　ground。　　When　the　music　slackened　she　would　appear　quite　out　of　temper；　but　when　it　became　louder　she　would　smile　and　be　delighted。　　During　this　exercise　she　never　showed　the　least　symptom　of　being　tired；　though　the　musicians　were　thoroughly　exhausted；　and　when　they　stopped　to　refresh　themselves　by　drinking　and　resting　a　little　she　would　discover　signs　of　discontent。

〃Next　day；　according　to　the　custom　in　the　c