Manuel De Carli | Université de Tours (original) (raw)

Books by Manuel De Carli

In the past the term tarantism was usually applied to define a series of uncontrollable convulsiv... more In the past the term tarantism was usually applied to define a series of uncontrollable convulsive symptoms that had no apparent explanation and were believed to arise as a result of the poisonousbut not deadlybite of the tarantula spider. Those affected by tarantism (tarantati) usually manifested catalepsy and frenzy, sweating and palpitations, above all in summer. It was a noticeably 'cultural' phenomenon, as anthropologist Ernesto de Martino observed in his pioneering 1961 study dedicated to the religious history of rural southern Italy. Its spread was attributed to the presence of these 'marvellous dancing spiders' in Mediterranean Europe, especially on the Salento peninsula. Over time, therefore, tarantulas and their victims became the object of deep-rooted popular beliefs. According to one of these beliefs, only music and dance could cure the tarantati. On the basis of a fruitful scientific interest in tarantism (see Storia e memoria del tarantismo, edited in 2013 by Alessandro Arcangeli and Andrea Carlino), the present volume contains seven articles, each dedicated to a seventeenth-century author who wrote about this phenomenon from different perspectives: history of philosophy, science, medicine and literature. The context was always that of the classical medical tradition but underpinned by 1600s' experimentalism and a renewed interest in magic and the marvellous. In search of a rational explanation of the 'secrets' of the tarantula's bite, the work of Giovan Battista Della Porta (1535-1615), studied by Donato Verardi, reported its effects as part of nature and its laws. In his unfinished Taumatologia (1603), the Neapolitan philosopher also argued for the possibility of 'healing at a distance', to be carried out by a natural magician. Rejecting 'false' beliefs was also the focus of Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639), an author discussed in the essay by Maurizio Cambi. Although from a different perspective, Campanella considered the sweating produced by the physical movement of the dance as a not 'magical' but 'natural' therapy.

Papers by Manuel De Carli

Tarantism is among the most famous occult phenomena of the early modern age. In the seventeenth c... more Tarantism is among the most famous occult phenomena of the early modern age. In the seventeenth century, it was the subject of numerous studies by physicians, philosophers and natural magicians. Given this considerable amount of research, the figurative sources on the subject are, in this period, quite limited. This contribution examines the engraving of tarantism present in Magnes (1641) by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-80), one of the very first visual representations of Apulian tarantulas and other elements linked to the pathological phenomenon generated by their venom. The aim of the article is to show how the images present in the engraving, depicting three occult aspects of the phenomenon-namely the medicinal powers of some melodies, the regional specificity of the disease and the spider responsible for the poisoning-, convey a precise conception of the natural history of tarantism, explainable with the tools of his magnetic philosophy.

Résumé: Le tarantisme fait partie des phénomènes occultes les plus célèbres du début de l'ère moderne. Au XVII e siècle, elle fit l'objet de nombreuses études de la part de médecins, philosophes et magiciens naturels. Compte tenu de l'ampleur des recherches, les sources figuratives sur le sujet sont, à cette époque, assez limitées. Cette contribution examine la gravure du tarentisme présente dans Magnes (1641) du jésuite polymathe Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), l'une des toutes premières représentations visuelles des tarentules des Pouilles et d'autres éléments liés au phénomène pathologique généré par leur venin. L'objectif de cette article est de montrer comment les images présentes dans la gravure, illustrant trois aspects occultes du phénomène-à savoir les pouvoirs médicinaux de certaines mélodies, la spécificité régionale de la maladie et l'araignée responsable de l'empoisonnement-, véhiculent une conception précise de l'histoire naturelle du tarentisme, explicable avec les outils de sa philosophie magnétique.

Revue d'histoire des sciences I Tome 74-2 I juillet-décembre 2021 I 381-405 L'occulte et le taren... more Revue d'histoire des sciences I Tome 74-2 I juillet-décembre 2021 I 381-405 L'occulte et le tarentisme en Hollande aux XVII e et XVIII e siècles : L'oeuvre de Wolferd Senguerd (1646-1724)* Manuel DE CARLI ** Résumé : Le présent article est consacré à la reconstitution de la réflexion menée sur le tarentisme et les qualités occultes par Wolferd Senguerd (Utrecht, 1646-Leyde, 1724), professeur de philosophie péripatéticienne à l'université de Leyde. Ce problème est au centre de la réflexion de l'auteur depuis sa formation académique. Dans la Disputatio philosophica inauguralis de tarantula (1667) et dans le Tractatus physicus de tarantula (1668), le tarentisme est présenté par l'auteur comme un phénomène comportant de nombreux aspects, expliqué par la tradition au travers des qualités occultes. Senguerd veut démontrer que ces différents aspects peuvent être aussi bien expliqués sans avoir recours à celles-ci. Cependant, la position de l'auteur vis-à-vis de l'occulte subit une redéfinition, non sans répercussion sur sa tardive Disquisitio de tarantula (1715). Dans cette oeuvre, l'étude des nombreux aspects cachés du tarentisme est développée dans un cadre expérimental renouvelé.

by L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER, Publisher, Fabrizio Baldassarri, Giovanni Silvano, Florike Egmond, Alberto Zanatta, Roberta Ballestriero, Allen Shotwell, Maria Kavvadia, Elisabeth Moreau, Luca Tonetti, and Manuel De Carli

This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and rang... more This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and ranging from experiments and practices to the role of erudition in court-medicine, from the study of tarantism and plagues to the uses of drugs, from the collaborations and dissemination of medical knowledge to the epistemological classification of diseases. The essays aim to reveal the boundless investigation in medical knowledge, ultimately blurring the line of diverse fields, and focus on the extension of medicine as a scientia. Besides the investigation of specific figures and several case studies of early modern medicine, the volume opens with an exploration of the Medical School of Padua and also deals with some important locations that shape the science of medicine, such as anatomical theatres, botanical gardens, and museums.

La tarantola è solita danzare al suono degli strumenti musicali? Questo risulta da un'esperienza ... more La tarantola è solita danzare al suono degli strumenti musicali? Questo risulta da un'esperienza evidentissima, infatti è solita ballare e danzare al suono della chitarra, di un tamburello, dei flauti, dei cembali, della cetra, ecc. E chi non ci crede venga a vedere e faccia una prova: troverà che ciò che scriviamo è verissimo». Epifanio Ferdinando, Centum Historiae, T. Baglioni, Venezia 1621, p. 261.

Volume pubblicato con i fondi del Progetto CUIS-Bando 2014 -"Filosofi e libri di Terra d'Otranto ... more Volume pubblicato con i fondi del Progetto CUIS-Bando 2014 -"Filosofi e libri di Terra d'Otranto fra eredità greco-bizantina e fermenti culturali del Rinascimento" erogati tramite il Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici -Università del Salento.

In the past the term tarantism was usually applied to define a series of uncontrollable convulsiv... more In the past the term tarantism was usually applied to define a series of uncontrollable convulsive symptoms that had no apparent explanation and were believed to arise as a result of the poisonousbut not deadlybite of the tarantula spider. Those affected by tarantism (tarantati) usually manifested catalepsy and frenzy, sweating and palpitations, above all in summer. It was a noticeably 'cultural' phenomenon, as anthropologist Ernesto de Martino observed in his pioneering 1961 study dedicated to the religious history of rural southern Italy. Its spread was attributed to the presence of these 'marvellous dancing spiders' in Mediterranean Europe, especially on the Salento peninsula. Over time, therefore, tarantulas and their victims became the object of deep-rooted popular beliefs. According to one of these beliefs, only music and dance could cure the tarantati. On the basis of a fruitful scientific interest in tarantism (see Storia e memoria del tarantismo, edited in 2013 by Alessandro Arcangeli and Andrea Carlino), the present volume contains seven articles, each dedicated to a seventeenth-century author who wrote about this phenomenon from different perspectives: history of philosophy, science, medicine and literature. The context was always that of the classical medical tradition but underpinned by 1600s' experimentalism and a renewed interest in magic and the marvellous. In search of a rational explanation of the 'secrets' of the tarantula's bite, the work of Giovan Battista Della Porta (1535-1615), studied by Donato Verardi, reported its effects as part of nature and its laws. In his unfinished Taumatologia (1603), the Neapolitan philosopher also argued for the possibility of 'healing at a distance', to be carried out by a natural magician. Rejecting 'false' beliefs was also the focus of Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639), an author discussed in the essay by Maurizio Cambi. Although from a different perspective, Campanella considered the sweating produced by the physical movement of the dance as a not 'magical' but 'natural' therapy.

Tarantism is among the most famous occult phenomena of the early modern age. In the seventeenth c... more Tarantism is among the most famous occult phenomena of the early modern age. In the seventeenth century, it was the subject of numerous studies by physicians, philosophers and natural magicians. Given this considerable amount of research, the figurative sources on the subject are, in this period, quite limited. This contribution examines the engraving of tarantism present in Magnes (1641) by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-80), one of the very first visual representations of Apulian tarantulas and other elements linked to the pathological phenomenon generated by their venom. The aim of the article is to show how the images present in the engraving, depicting three occult aspects of the phenomenon-namely the medicinal powers of some melodies, the regional specificity of the disease and the spider responsible for the poisoning-, convey a precise conception of the natural history of tarantism, explainable with the tools of his magnetic philosophy.

Résumé: Le tarantisme fait partie des phénomènes occultes les plus célèbres du début de l'ère moderne. Au XVII e siècle, elle fit l'objet de nombreuses études de la part de médecins, philosophes et magiciens naturels. Compte tenu de l'ampleur des recherches, les sources figuratives sur le sujet sont, à cette époque, assez limitées. Cette contribution examine la gravure du tarentisme présente dans Magnes (1641) du jésuite polymathe Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), l'une des toutes premières représentations visuelles des tarentules des Pouilles et d'autres éléments liés au phénomène pathologique généré par leur venin. L'objectif de cette article est de montrer comment les images présentes dans la gravure, illustrant trois aspects occultes du phénomène-à savoir les pouvoirs médicinaux de certaines mélodies, la spécificité régionale de la maladie et l'araignée responsable de l'empoisonnement-, véhiculent une conception précise de l'histoire naturelle du tarentisme, explicable avec les outils de sa philosophie magnétique.

Revue d'histoire des sciences I Tome 74-2 I juillet-décembre 2021 I 381-405 L'occulte et le taren... more Revue d'histoire des sciences I Tome 74-2 I juillet-décembre 2021 I 381-405 L'occulte et le tarentisme en Hollande aux XVII e et XVIII e siècles : L'oeuvre de Wolferd Senguerd (1646-1724)* Manuel DE CARLI ** Résumé : Le présent article est consacré à la reconstitution de la réflexion menée sur le tarentisme et les qualités occultes par Wolferd Senguerd (Utrecht, 1646-Leyde, 1724), professeur de philosophie péripatéticienne à l'université de Leyde. Ce problème est au centre de la réflexion de l'auteur depuis sa formation académique. Dans la Disputatio philosophica inauguralis de tarantula (1667) et dans le Tractatus physicus de tarantula (1668), le tarentisme est présenté par l'auteur comme un phénomène comportant de nombreux aspects, expliqué par la tradition au travers des qualités occultes. Senguerd veut démontrer que ces différents aspects peuvent être aussi bien expliqués sans avoir recours à celles-ci. Cependant, la position de l'auteur vis-à-vis de l'occulte subit une redéfinition, non sans répercussion sur sa tardive Disquisitio de tarantula (1715). Dans cette oeuvre, l'étude des nombreux aspects cachés du tarentisme est développée dans un cadre expérimental renouvelé.

by L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER, Publisher, Fabrizio Baldassarri, Giovanni Silvano, Florike Egmond, Alberto Zanatta, Roberta Ballestriero, Allen Shotwell, Maria Kavvadia, Elisabeth Moreau, Luca Tonetti, and Manuel De Carli

This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and rang... more This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and ranging from experiments and practices to the role of erudition in court-medicine, from the study of tarantism and plagues to the uses of drugs, from the collaborations and dissemination of medical knowledge to the epistemological classification of diseases. The essays aim to reveal the boundless investigation in medical knowledge, ultimately blurring the line of diverse fields, and focus on the extension of medicine as a scientia. Besides the investigation of specific figures and several case studies of early modern medicine, the volume opens with an exploration of the Medical School of Padua and also deals with some important locations that shape the science of medicine, such as anatomical theatres, botanical gardens, and museums.

La tarantola è solita danzare al suono degli strumenti musicali? Questo risulta da un'esperienza ... more La tarantola è solita danzare al suono degli strumenti musicali? Questo risulta da un'esperienza evidentissima, infatti è solita ballare e danzare al suono della chitarra, di un tamburello, dei flauti, dei cembali, della cetra, ecc. E chi non ci crede venga a vedere e faccia una prova: troverà che ciò che scriviamo è verissimo». Epifanio Ferdinando, Centum Historiae, T. Baglioni, Venezia 1621, p. 261.

Volume pubblicato con i fondi del Progetto CUIS-Bando 2014 -"Filosofi e libri di Terra d'Otranto ... more Volume pubblicato con i fondi del Progetto CUIS-Bando 2014 -"Filosofi e libri di Terra d'Otranto fra eredità greco-bizantina e fermenti culturali del Rinascimento" erogati tramite il Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici -Università del Salento.