ABSTRACT
The number of eighteenth-century Spanish physicians who developed theories of music therapy is striking. In general, the eighteenth-century doctors writing about music therapy were eminently practical men. There is no easy explanation for the large number of treatises on music therapy in general and tarantism in particular. The Spanish writers are embedded in the medicine of their day: they discuss F. Hoffmann's therapeutics, Sauvages' dictionary, and so on. A wide variety of therapeutic remedies were applied. It is possible that the number of measures employed was so large because the tarantula bite was thought to produce such a range of symptoms. Also, when the symptoms did not diminish after the first treatment, further medication was prescribed. Two kinds of symptom were recorded: local and general. The local symptoms went unnoticed unless the doctor asked about them or examined the patient carefully. Cid classifies tarantism according to the speed with which the symptoms appear and the effectiveness of the music.
