Wednesday, September 27, 2006

antidotum tarantulae

“First question

Why cannot those poisoned by Tarantulas be cured otherwise than by Music?

The great power and efficacy that Music possesses for the arousal of changes in mood and affections has been related at length in the foregoing: now it remains for us, finally, to show how, by agency of Music, the burdensome illnesses and affection that stems from the poison of these Tarantulas may be driven from the afflicted, and the same restored to complete health.

Because strings have great power and efficacy in their movement to stir the air in such a fashion, so it happens that through such fine-sounding string tone the air, similarly stirred but in durable fashion by musical movement, penetrates the body, through the faculties of reason and feeling, occupied with such charming movement, and stirs the vital spirits in the same way. But such vital spirits, previously rarefied and dispersed, also affect and touch most pleasantly the articulations of the flesh and the air-diffusing veins, and affect too the innermost little fibres, tissues and membranes in which the said vital spirits mostly dwell. Since such fibres, membranes and articulations or musculi carry and harbour the hidden venom, and also hold within them the harsh moisture, the pungent and bilious humour, then it follows that such humours are also diluted and dispersed, along with the poison that has been so stirred up and aroused. Then, growing warmer little by little, they become ticklish and all the articulations begin to pinch and stretch, as a result of which the Patient is driven to dance and spring as if by a pleasant tingling feeling and stimulation. Now, the whole body is stirred by such dancing and leaping, together with all the humours that it contains. Such agitated movement results in heat and increased warmth. And this heating up of the whole body leads to the stretching and opening of the air holes, through which air holes it follows necessarily that the poisonous winds and humours are exhaled and depart.

First consequence

[...] Hence it is necessary, when a person has been bitten or stung by one sort of Tarantula or another, to use the right sort of music or song for him. Thus when someone is wounded by the Melancholy Tarantula, he becomes lethargic, indolent, sleepy. If he is stung by one of the Choleric variety, it makes him choleric, inconstant, restless, furious and inclined to murder and strangling. So one must conclude for other humours too, that a particular Tone or Music is suited to a wounded person.”

Athanasius Kircher, Magnes, sive De Arte Mgnetica, Roma, 1641

Pentru ca cel care canta tarantelle nu e muzician. E vraci.

Poza luata de aici

. @ 8:40 AM