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What (who) is tarantism - definition

HYSTERIA

Tarantism

·noun A nervous affection producing melancholy, stupor, and an uncontrollable desire to dance. It was supposed to be produced by the bite of the tarantula, and considered to be incapable of cure except by protracted dancing to appropriate music.

tarantism

['tar(?)n?t?z(?)m]

¦ noun a psychological illness characterized by an extreme impulse to dance, prevalent in southern Italy from the 15th to the 17th centuries and formerly believed to be caused by the bite of a tarantula.

Origin

C17: from Ital. tarantismo, from the name of the Italian seaport Taranto, after which the tarantula is also named.

Tarantism

Tarantism is a form of hysteric behaviour originating in Southern Italy, popularly believed to result from the bite of the wolf spider Lycosa tarantula (distinct from the broad class of spiders also called tarantulas).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantism

Wikipedia

Tarantism

Tarantism is a form of hysteric behaviour originating in Southern Italy, popularly believed to result from the bite of the wolf spider Lycosa tarantula (distinct from the broad class of spiders also called tarantulas). A better candidate cause is Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, commonly known as the Mediterranean black widow or steppe spider, although no link between such bites and the behaviour of tarantism has ever been demonstrated. However, the term historically is used to refer to a dancing mania – characteristic of Southern Italy – which likely had little to do with spider bites. The tarantella dance supposedly evolved from a therapy for tarantism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantism