Tarentula


Proving Symptoms of homeopathy medicine Tarentula, described by Richard Hughes in his book, A Cyclopedia of Drug Pathogenesis, published in 1895….


Provings

1. NUNEZ. [In 1864, Dr. Nunez, of Madrid, published an Estudio Medico del Veneno de la Tarantula segun el Metodo de Hahnemann, which was translated into French by Dr. Perry in 1866. It contains an excellent summary of all that has been written on the subject of tarentism and tarentulism, and we are indebted to it for several of the references we have utilized below. Dr. Nunez concludes by a schema of the pathogenesis of the spider, in which-with the symptoms of its bite-he includes a number said to be obtained by proving it upon a healthy body. For this purpose the Spanish variety was triturated, entire and alive, with sugar of milk, raised to the 4th (cent.) by the same process, and then diluted. The 6th and 12th potencies were those mainly used by the provers, but one took the 3rd. Two or three doses were taken daily until symptoms set in, when the drug was suspended; and this usually occurred after the first day of ingestion. The names of ten physicians are mentioned as provers, and seven women are said to have tested the drug under competent superintendence.

Had Dr. Nunez given us the opportunity of studying these observations, we might have presented at least some of them to our readers. But he has, unfortunately, not only arranged them in the usual schema, but has omitted to affix to each symptom the name of its subject. We find evident traces, moreover, of the introduction of “clinical symptoms” into the catalogue (as S. II, 125, 135, &c.); with much that is seemingly apocryphal in the character and duration (where this is mentioned) of the pathogenetic effects. Under these circumstances we do not feel justified in furnishing our readers with Dr. Nunez’s symptom-list as a trustworthy series of the pure effects of the tarentula poison. If his executors can give us the day-books of his provers, it will be another matter; in the meantime the record effects of the spider’s bite must be taken as our only sure data for the clinical use of the venom. -EDS.].

Poisonings

1 a. -The bite of the Italian (Apulian) tarentula excites at the first moment a pain like that of a bee-sting. The neighbouring parts rapidly take on a livid, yellow, or black hue; the pain becomes very acute, but sometimes is replaced by a general benumbing; the injured part swell more or less. The patient is soon seized with anguish, sadness, sinking, great difficulty of breathing, and pain in the region of the heart. Each variety can produce special effects. 1b. The grey tarentula causes only slight local pain, with pruritus, sharp pain in bowels, and diarrhea.

1c. The spotted to excites a more acute pain, a fiercer itching, with oppression of head, headache, and shuddering of the whole body.

1d. The t. of the vineyards gives rise to the gravest accidents, -sharp pains, swelling, shiverings and cold sweats over the whole frame, aphonia, efforts to vomit, erections, tympanites. In those most seriously affected who have been able nevertheless to resist the primary disorder, there supervenes at the end of some days a state of melancholy, designated by the name of “tarentism,” which can only be dissipated by dancing and music, or by the progress of age. It is rare, however, for those bitten even to recover completely: their morale remains always more or less affected, they seek desert places and cemeteries, and love to stretch themselves in coffins, as though they were dead; others throw themselves down wells; young girls and the most modest women experience the symptoms of complete nymphomania; others roll themselves in the mire like pigs and seem to enjoy such a condition; other like to be rapped on the back, the soles, the heels; others find most relief from rapid movement. Some seek with pleasure for certain colours, especially red, green, blue, less often black; others repulse these with horror, or pass rapidly from one sentiment to another; and if any person present wears garments whose colour is displeasing, the patient must escape, for the slight augments the anguish and aggravates all the symptoms.

1e. By a curious periodicity, these morbid phenomena return every year, especially the three months of summer, or more particularly at the epoch corresponding to that of the bite. The recrudescence of the action of the poison makes itself felt gradually by anorexia, anxiety, headache, bruised feeling in the limbs; the patient flies to music and dancing, which often calm the symptoms, especially when the patient’s gyrations determine free perspiration. But when the attack begins suddenly before help can be sought, the patient falls half-dead, like one struck by lightning; the extremities and face become livid; a sort of suffocation sets in; and the symptoms continue until the limbs become agitated, and the whole body is soon hurried, into a sort of dance. If the choreic movements do not supervene at the critical time, the patient will remain all the year subject to grave symptoms; the skin takes on an icteric hue; there is slow fever, with anorexia; if, however, the agitation and sweating occur at the favourable moment, the health continues good.

1f. Baglivi justly remarks that the symptoms produced by the tarentula approximate closely to those of chlorosis with hysteric complication, so much so that it is sometimes impossible to distinguish the two conditions. General debility, pallor of face, breathlessness, precordial anxiety, palpitations, depraved taste, m involuntary sadness, -these are, in fact, common to both. Martin Schurig also cites a case in which chlorosis supervened on the bite of a spider.

1g. The results of the bite of the Ligurian tarentula have been studied by Drs. Gazzo (Annales de ther. med. chim. et tox., February, 1845.) and di Renzi ( Gaz. med., 1833, p. 633.). The principal phenomena are divided into two stages. In the algid stage we have, -sharp pain at wound, radiating to neighbouring parts; general coldness, icy sweats, anxious breathing, cramps, cardialgia; general contractions; hoarse voice; heat in throat; trismus, or twitchings of jaw, recurring paroxysmally; nausea and bilious vomiting; flames and sparks before eyes. The symptoms go on increasing for about 3 days; then comes reaction, lively heat all over; febrile pulse; abundant alvine evacuations; critical miliary eruption or general pruritus. Recovery ensues from 10th to 14th day (OZANAM, op. cit.)

2. Dr. DI RENZI observed tarentulism extensively in the kingdom of Naples. “Introduced,” he writes, “at a point in the integument, the virus develops there a circumscribed inflammation like that of bee-stings, sometimes considerable swelling extending to the neighbouring parts, with sensation of acute pain. In a few hours there is sadness, a melancholic and silent humour; the patient experiences a kind of anguish, constriction at the chest, vertigo, general trembling, nausea, vomiting; the pulse becomes frequent and irregular. If the remedy” (music and dancing) “is not used in time, the attack lasts some days with intensity; the patient falls into a kind of hebetude or torpor; the mere recollection of his trouble causes him very violent attacks of hypochondriasis; the return of the summer heats or the sight of another sufferer from the malady excites a frightful rage.” (Gazette Medicale, 1833, p. 633.)

3. C. S., infant of 3 months, was bitten by a tarentula. She appeared at first uneasy, then exhibited dyspnoea, cried and complained, showed signs of suffocation, vomited, and was agitated by convulsive movement. Music was played to her, and movements of the limbs set up, whence resulted profuse sweat, followed by sleep and complete recovery. (Ibid.)

4. A labourer was bitten on the foot during sleep by a tarentula of the most venomous kind. Awaking, he felt sharp pain at the affected spot, without being able to account for it. At the seat of the bite there rose a little circular swelling, dark red, and rather hard; there was stupefaction, oppression of breathing, nervous and muscular debility. These symptoms increased, and delirium supervened. Music, and dancing till perspiration set in, were employed, and recovery at once took place. (Ibid.)

5. Iraneta (1785) and Cid (1787) have published works on tarentism as observed in Spain, and have demonstrated the effects of the bite of the tarentula of that country (especially in La Mancha) to be identical with those of the Apulian species. Iraneta relates six observations of his own, and Cid thirty communicated to him by divers physicians in his neighbourhood. The latter thus sum up the phenomena: “The subject of the bite of this insect feels a sharp pang like that of a bee-sting, but more violent. At the seat of the bite there ordinarily forms an areola, red, brown, or yellow; sometimes simply a small elevation without change in colour of skin; sometimes neither. In a short time the bitten place becomes numb, or the seat of painful itching; but the most frequent symptom is a numbness which spreads rapidly over the body, and there is at once an intense coldness, first local, and then general. Thereupon comes anxieties, anguish, extreme restlessness, embarrassed breathing, oppression, palpitation, narrowing of pulse, prostration, cold water, cold sweat, coldness of extremities, aphonia, faintings, vomitings, hyper-acute pain and inflammation in the belly, ardor- urinae, priapism, scalding evacuations, immobility, venous congestions or a sort of apoplexy, resembling catalepsy, as if the vital spirits were frozen, with turgescence and dark coloration of face and extremities-in short, all the effects of a virus possessing a great coagulating power. When the patients are interrogated, they reply that they know not what is the matter with them; they carry their hand to their face as if to indicate the place where they suffer the most; they sigh, groan, and complain as if they were about to die; in some, agitation, pains in renal, hypogastric, and vesical region are such that they roll on the ground; in others the prostration is so rapid that they fall suddenly fainting, and the other symptoms do not become developed till afterwards.” [The rest of Cid’s description is parallel with that of Ozanam (II, 1 e) from Baglivi. -EDS.] (NUNEZ, op. cit.)

Richard Hughes
Dr. Richard Hughes (1836-1902) was born in London, England. He received the title of M.R.C.S. (Eng.), in 1857 and L.R.C.P. (Edin.) in 1860. The title of M.D. was conferred upon him by the American College a few years later.

Hughes was a great writer and a scholar. He actively cooperated with Dr. T.F. Allen to compile his 'Encyclopedia' and rendered immeasurable aid to Dr. Dudgeon in translating Hahnemann's 'Materia Medica Pura' into English. In 1889 he was appointed an Editor of the 'British Homoeopathic Journal' and continued in that capacity until his demise. In 1876, Dr. Hughes was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Organization of the International Congress of Homoeopathy Physicians in Philadelphia. He also presided over the International Congress in London.