Zvonimir Maretic (1921-1989): The History of Discovery of the First European Antilatrodectic Serum and its Preparator in the Occasion Of the 30th Anniversary of His Death

Zvonimir Maretic was the pioneer of the study of venomous animals and plants, toxicology, and tourism medicine. His achievements have been recognized, but insufficiently researched. His work covers a broad range of biomedical sciences: from public health, ecology, and environmental protection, to epidemiology and infectology. Maretic was one of the founding members of the International Society on Toxinology and the Toxicon journal's first Editorial Board. He was the first in Europe to prepare the antilatrodectic serum and to successfully apply the weever and scorpionfish antiserum on humans. This brief note tries to commemorate the achievements of Maretic, up to now poorly recognized and insufficiently researched.

[Tarantism in Spain in the eighteen century: latrodectism and suggestion]. / El tarantismo en España en el siglo XVIII: latrodectismo y sugestion.

INTRODUCTION: Tarantism is the disease caused by the bite of the tarantula, in which the music tarantella triggers an involuntary dance. It is known in Italy since the sixteenth century. AIM: To analyze the tarantism reported in Spain at the end of the eighteenth century, with special attention to its neurological aspects, and to propose its medical and psychopathological explanation. DEVELOPMENT: An epidemic of people affected by the tarantula bite occurred in Spain in 1782. Spanish doctors described appropriately the clinical effects, identical to those produced by the bite of the spider black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), which was at that time identified as a tarantula. The cases reported by Francisco Xavier Cid cured with the involuntary dance triggered by the tarantella, as was described in Italy since the sixteenth century. Our interpretation is that this curative effect of dance in Spain was induced by suggestion. In Spanish patients there were no behavioral disturbances, periodic recurrences or collective involvement as those reported by Italian authors, which suggest an hysterical phenomenon, probably a continuation of the dancing mania of the Middle Age. CONCLUSIONS: Tarantism reported in Spain in the eighteenth century includes two different phenomena: the systemic symptoms produced by the tarantula bite, which is actually latrodectism, and the curative effect of the tarantella, explained by suggestion. The psychiatric disturbances, with a hysterical nature, falsely associated to the tarantula bite, observed in Italy, were not present among the Spanish cases of tarantism in the eighteenth century.

TITLE: El tarantismo en España en el siglo XVIII: latrodectismo y sugestion.Introduccion. El tarantismo es la enfermedad producida por la picadura de la tarantula, en la que la musica de la tarantela desencadena un baile involuntario. Se conoce en Italia desde el siglo XVI. Objetivo. Analizar el tarantismo descrito en España a finales del siglo XVIII, atendiendo especialmente a sus aspectos neurologicos, y proponer su explicacion medica y psicopatologica. Desarrollo. En 1782 hubo una epidemia de afectados por picadura de tarantula en España. Medicos españoles describieron correctamente los efectos clinicos, identicos a los provocados por la picadura de la araña viuda negra (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), identificada en la epoca como tarantula. Los casos descritos por Francisco Xavier Cid curaban con el baile involuntario provocado por la tarantela, como se describia en Italia desde el siglo XVI. Interpretamos el efecto curativo de este baile en España como un fenomeno de sugestion. En los pacientes españoles no se producian los trastornos del comportamiento, las recidivas periodicas ni la afectacion colectiva descritos por autores italianos, y que sugieren un fenomeno histerico, probablemente continuacion de la mania danzante de la Edad Media. Conclusiones. El tarantismo descrito en España en el siglo XVIII incluye dos fenomenos distintos: los sintomas sistemicos producidos de la mordedura de la tarantula, que es en realidad un latrodectismo, y el efecto curativo de la tarantela, lo cual se explica por un fenomeno de sugestion. Los trastornos psiquicos falsamente asociados a la picadura de la tarantula observados en Italia, de origen histerico, no estuvieron presentes en los casos españoles de tarantismo del siglo XVIII.

El tarantismo en España en el siglo XVIII: latrodectismo y sugestión / Tarantism in Spain in the eighteen century: latrodectism and suggestion

Introducción. El tarantismo es la enfermedad producida por la picadura de la tarántula, en la que la música de la tarantela desencadena un baile involuntario. Se conoce en Italia desde el siglo XVI. Objetivo. Analizar el tarantismo descrito en España a finales del siglo XVIII, atendiendo especialmente a sus aspectos neurológicos, y proponer su explicación médica y psicopatológica. Desarrollo. En 1782 hubo una epidemia de afectados por picadura de tarántula en España. Médicos españoles describieron correctamente los efectos clínicos, idénticos a los provocados por la picadura de la araña viuda negra (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), identificada en la época como tarántula. Los casos descritos por Francisco Xavier Cid curaban con el baile involuntario provocado por la tarantela, como se describía en Italia desde el siglo xvi. Interpretamos el efecto curativo de este baile en España como un fenómeno de sugestión. En los pacientes españoles no se producían los trastornos del comportamiento, las recidivas periódicas ni la afectación colectiva descritos por autores italianos, y que sugieren un fenómeno histérico, probablemente continuación de la manía danzante de la Edad Media. Conclusiones. El tarantismo descrito en España en el siglo XVIII incluye dos fenómenos distintos: los síntomas sistémicos producidos de la mordedura de la tarántula, que es en realidad un latrodectismo, y el efecto curativo de la tarantela, lo cual se explica por un fenómeno de sugestión. Los trastornos psíquicos falsamente asociados a la picadura de la tarántula observados en Italia, de origen histérico, no estuvieron presentes en los casos españoles de tarantismo del siglo XVIII (AU)

Introduction. Tarantism is the disease caused by the bite of the tarantula, in which the music tarantella triggers an involuntary dance. It is known in Italy since the sixteenth century. Aim. To analyze the tarantism reported in Spain at the end of the eighteenth century, with special attention to its neurological aspects, and to propose its medical and psychopathological explanation. Development. An epidemic of people affected by the tarantula bite occurred in Spain in 1782. Spanish doctors described appropriately the clinical effects, identical to those produced by the bite of the spider black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), which was at that time identified as a tarantula. The cases reported by Francisco Xavier Cid cured with the involuntary dance triggered by the tarantella, as was described in Italy since the sixteenth century. Our interpretation is that this curative effect of dance in Spain was induced by suggestion. In Spanish patients there were no behavioral disturbances, periodic recurrences or collective involvement as those reported by Italian authors, which suggest an hysterical phenomenon, probably a continuation of the dancing mania of the Middle Age. Conclusions. Tarantism reported in Spain in the eighteenth century includes two different phenomena: the systemic symptoms produced by the tarantula bite, which is actually latrodectism, and the curative effect of the tarantella, explained by suggestion. The psychiatric disturbances, with a hysterical nature, falsely associated to the tarantula bite, observed in Italy, were not present among the Spanish cases of tarantism in the eighteenth century (AU)

[Dancing manias. Between culture and medicine]. / Manie taneczne. Miedzy kultura a medycyna.

Dancing mania is a clinical and cultural phenomenon which occurred in Western Europe between 13th and 18th centuries. The term dancing mania is derived from the Greek words choros, a dance, and mania, a madness. An Italian variant was known as tarantism as victims were believed to have been bitten by tarantula spider. Although symptoms of dancing manias were well documented in contemporary writings the exact aetiology of dancing plaques is still unclear. Several causes for dancing mania have been postulated: demonic possession, the bite of tarantula, ergot poisoning, epilepsy, mass hysterias, exotics religious cults. The article contains a review of hypothesis of epidemic dances included both medical and psychological factors.

'Watch out for these KILLERS!': newspaper coverage of the Sydney funnel web spider and its impact on antivenom research.

Based on a content analysis of treatments of the funnel web spider in the Sydney Morning Herald between 1955 and 1985, this paper argues that negative attitudes towards the funnel web were encouraged throughout this period in news stories, commentary, and advertisements and were demonstrated in the reported words and actions of members of the general public. Despite this opprobrium, research into a funnel web antivenom was able to proceed because of the willingness of individuals to collect the spiders and forward them to researchers. Negative attitudes towards the funnel web were able to be directed to a positive action which eventually helped to bring about the development of an antivenom, lessening the real threat posed by the spider.

[Tarentism and its ethnographic fictions: the epistemology of the other's disease]. / Le tarentisme et ses fictions ethnographiques: épistémologie d'une maladie de l'Autre.

Tarantism is a cultural syndrome caused by a symbolic spider bite that was treated in Southern Italy by means of a musical and religious ritual. At the frontiers of theories of insanity this "disease" is the source of a rich and centuries-old scientific literature. This article proposes an epistemological analysis of the medical paradigms that have built the scientific representations of this phenomenon and that make it an anthropological mediation of cultural alterity of the Apulian territory and Southern Italy in general. Geographical or social determinism, popular irrationality, simulation and imitation appear as recurrent categories sounding the psychology of a "meridional soul" explained, till the studies of the 20th century about the south-European immigrants' diseases, in terms such as social anomy and mental alienation.

[The "hornet spider" of Plinius]. / Zur "Hornissen-Spinne" des Plinius.

Pliny the Elder describes in his 'Natural History' XXIX 86 a species of spider dangerous for human beings and looking like a hornet without wings. This description corresponds to Solipugae of the genus Karschia, living in arid areas of Central Asia. These animals are not venomous but can cause harm by their powerful bite and in some cases by a following inflammation of the wound. On the contrary, an animal called "wasp-like", mentioned by Nikander of Kolophon ('Theriaca', v. 738-746) and often regarded to be the same creature, seems to be a typical venomous spider which causes an acute intoxication by its bite.

The dancing plague: a public health conundrum.

The phenomenon of mass, frenzied dancing affected large populations in various parts of Europe from the thirteenth century and lasted, on and off, for three centuries. The exact aetiology of the Dancing Plague (or Dancing Mania) is still unclear. Retrospective historical review of this public health problem reveals claims for causative factors including demonic possession, epilepsy, the bite of a tarantula, ergot poisoning and social adversity. It seems unlikely that Dancing Mania resulted from a single cause but rather resulted from multiple factors combining with a predisposing cultural background and triggered by adverse social circumstances. Dancing Mania remains one of the unresolved mysteries of public health.

[Venomous spiders and their venoms]. / Giftspinnen und ihre Gifte.

The history of araneidism is long and confusing. The superstition seems to be inexterminatable that tropical mygalomorphs and mediterranean tarantulas are dangerous for humans. It can be looked up even in the most recent edition of the widespread clinical dictionary of Pschyrembel. In contrast to this certain ctenids, the most dangerous spiders up to now known, are mentioned not at all in medical publications. Exaggerated spider-fear is out of place because about 0.1% of all species are dangerous for man only and many of the venomous species live as hidden as they scarcely come in contact with humans.