Tarantula hispanica is a member of the spider family Lycosa, of tropic or sub-tropic origin, and is commonly known to the world for its fatal poison and the intense sufferings which this brings to its victims. The poison is a glandular secretion and this concentrated essence is a vehicle transmitting to the victim the characteristic nature of the creature which produced it. The proving of this poison and the indicated therapeutic uses following thereon are derived from a prepared tincture of the living spider, whose influence pervades this product.
In the individual human subjected to the influence of Tarantula we perceive a diversion of the powers and capacities of mankind, temporarily perverted to the service of a tyrant- lordship; a disporting of the fulfiled nature of a vicious beastling displayed through activities of that higher type, the human. Then let us take first and understanding view of the characteristics peculiar to this beastling.
The intelligence of the creature appears as orderly. Instability is the outstanding feature; instability of action, or purpose, in wisdom for carrying through its changing purpose.
Adroit, conceited of its cleverness; yet stupidly assuming that false methods and false motives will escape detection, it elaborately manoeuvres to deceive. Appearing in view, even parading its presence; then seeking cover, it hides from detection, unexpectedly to emerge from ambush to attack its victim elsewhere unaware.
All purpose, whatever and however carried out, excludes every consideration of the interest, the desire or the purpose of another.
Only self-interest and desire are observed; and these are whimsical, changeful without limit, without calculation or foresight.
Love, perverted in this nature, appears as love annoying; making its presence an occasion of discomfort, disturbing the peace of others. It contributes no joy and cultivates no joy; invites from others no contribution that makes for happiness. To the contrary: It eludes every advance toward itself or its habitat, accounting such approach an intrusion or interference, it asserts privilege to conduct a joyless life in its own untrammeled way– no difference at what cost to others. A thorough non-conformist.
Satisfaction? No such state obtains in Tarantula. In its life is no parallel for the ease-indulging domestic cat which takes all places, times, occasions and devices for thorough enjoyment of its comfort. Tarantula attains no ease, no lazy comfort, no satisfaction. Its habit is restless activity. Seeking no ease to itself, it invades the peace of its environment. Would one seek to accommodate to its mood or desire? Is then reverts and will substitute other mood or desire quite to a contrary. Contrariness within itself, as well as contrariness to outer circumstance and will, distinguish this pervert nature.
The guiding light is darkness; avoiding light. Tarantula shuns all investigation of its way or wish and, withdrawing to whatever convenient lair of the moment, by hidden devious path it makes its way to another point of vantage, resenting with insult any endeavor to change its course or to dislodge it.
This disposition, so pictured as indisposition in the provers and in the patients affected most similarly to Tarantula provers, presents a mentality selfish, impish, whimsical, mischievous, disporting itself in disregard for ordinary custom and usual expectation and inconsiderate of convenience or comfort of all others. It may be, in a measure, curbed by the effort and real disposition of the person affected; but an avowed effort is necessary, for avoidance of the perverted expression.
Clever, adroit, furtive, sly ways of carrying through courses of action which, were they announced, would be opposed by attendants or associates; these ways, and the doing of unusual things, trivial in themselves, and fulfiling no purpose, engage the individual affected.
Here are peerings and peekings into things and into affairs; hiding from view; hiding things. He is destructive; interfering with plans; menacing the safety of himself and of others.
He loves to assume the false as a basis of conduct; and depends on whims for guidance; this mind does not submit its behaviour, its thoughts, its desires, to the light of wisdom or of truth. It shuns such gauge or investigation and darts from idea to idea with the agility and the seeming purposelessness of the spider. Defense from seeming interference is aggressive, through some sort of vicious thrust, cutting remark or threatened injury.
OBSTINACY is aid to all whimsicality. Grading of symptoms is indicated throughout by values of type. Small caps shows the highest degree, italics second degree and lower case roman the lowest degree.
It is intolerant of contradiction. Ailments appear, following contradiction.
Music is to this nature hateful, and weakening; the demoniac vibrations are canceled–subdued–through musical harmonies. As the appropriately named Tarantelle dance music and the dance itself express through their rhythm-impulse and action the sadness, excitability, mania, dancing and distress seen in victims of this spider-bite–the picture styled “tarantism” as indicating the dance-mania of those so bitten or so imagining– so also in these victims such symptoms, by fit music appropriately played are soothed, relieved, and ultimately subdued.
Provers and patients are sensitive to music ; sadness and excitability are primary effects (of music) but amelioration follows. Not only the mental features; pains and bodily conditions also are ameliorated by music.
RESTLESSNESS, tormenting, intense, demands continued motion. In bed, compels to walk, even though walking aggravates symptoms of the body. Herein in shown the contrariness within itself.
AVERSION TO BEING TOUCHED is manifest ; yet rubbing is demanded. Symptoms ameliorated by rubbing. With headache wants hair brushed or head rubbed. Rhus her head against extraneous surfaces, the wall, the bed, the pillows; sometimes in chores the face is rubbed against the chest or the shoulder.
An impelling demand induces rubbing, when there is no pain; it is an insatiable friction-impulse difficult to resist; spasmodic, habitual. It has been explained as “irritation of nerve-endings”.
CHOREA: Twitchings and jerkings–continuing into night–of single muscles, groups of muscles, entire limb or head; and more general, in body-contortions or in the dance. Ameliorated through influence of music.
Indulgence in many purposeless oft-repeated motions; involuntary motions; or voluntary, yet so induced that will- control is practically impossible against them. Apparently a craving for the sensation must be indulged but is not thereby satisfied; is but momentarily relieved. This may be called “indulging sensuality”; the more it is indulged, the less will it be denied.
Sense-indulgence is further manifest in sex-sensual dominations; hysterical emotion; intense sexual excitement; lasciviousness. Too numerous for detail in a brief outline are the many symptoms centering in the sexual organs and the sex- functions; aggravation of other symptoms after coition; sadness, difficult respiration, cough, general weakness specifically increased by sexual excitement.
Of persons whose life-habits or culture largely inhibit the frank exercise of sexual indulgence, sensual domination may gain expression through other symptoms: Sensations and distresses that fix the individuals consciousness upon the pelvic organs; so-called nervous symptoms not recognized as related to sexual irritation; such may be functional disorders of rectum or bladder, or some sort of frictional symptom or uncontrollable restlessness of feet, or of legs, having origin in this domination.
Sometimes a sweet cheerfulness and gaiety; while at other sometimes, anger, irritability. Quarrelsome, excitable; exhilarated or sad; but whatever the emotion–quite unwarranted by circumstances or environment, and unrelated to persons or incidents–merely an outcropping of the erratic mood.
Aversion to company; but wants someone present.
Making persistent demand on those present to minister to complaints.
Concurrent complaints so numerous, they cannot all be met nor ministered to at once.
Contented satisfaction impossible. Gratitude and content expelled from consciousness. Discontented with himself and with all things about him.
Delusions and imaginings are varied; sometimes droll and sometimes horrible sensations within himself or visions of things unseen.
Delirium, mania, shrieking, singing; erotic mania, or stupefaction, or indisposed to talk.
Sensation of being small (contrast to Aurum, Plat., Stram.).
Weeping, causeless, in sleep.
Weakness 9-11 a. m., 5 a. m., from walking, from sexual excitement.
On occasion: Strength increased.
In these states no lack of vitality is expressed. Alert activity challenges the endurance of a strong mind and body to follow it, to meet it, to outwit or circumvent it, to soothe the patient from her distresses. Ones resources are heavily taxed for devising means to assuage the distresses and complaints. The forlorn victim herself gives many admonitions: “Take care, dont touch me there”. “Cant you brush my hair; it might take away this awful pain”? “Dont raise that shade; I cant stand the light”.
