The Anatomy of Melancholy

And which is more wonderful; though they be very dry, (as in this malady they are) they will rather die then drink: Cælius Aurelianus, an ancient writer, makes a doubt whether this Hydrophobia be a passion of the body or the minde. The part affected is the Brain: the cause, poyson that comes from the mad dog, which is so hot & dry, that it consumes all the moisture in the body. Hildesheim relates of some that die so mad; and being cut up, had no water, scarce bloud, or any moisture left in them.

To such as are so affected, the fear of water begins at 14. dayes after they are bitten, to some again not till 40. or 60. dayes after: commonly saith Heurnius, they begin to rave, flye water, and glasses, to look red, and swell in the face, about 20. dayes after (if some remedy be not taken in the meane time) to lye awake, to be pensive, sad, to see strange visions, to bark and howl, to fall into a swoun, and oftentimes fits of the falling sickness. Some say, little things like whelps will be seen in their urines. If any of these signes appear, they are past recovery.

Many times these symptoms will not appear till six or seven months after, saith Codronchus; and some times not till 7. or 8. years, as Guianerius; 12. as Albertus 6. or 8. months after, as Galen holds. Baldus the great lawyer died of it: an Augustin Frier, and a woman in Delph, that were Forrestus patients, were miserably consumed with it.

The common cure in the country (for such at least as dwell neer the sea side) is to duck them over head and eares in sea water; some use charmes; every good wife can prescribe medicines. But the best cure to be had in such cases, is from the most approved Physicians; they that will read of them, may consult with Dioscorides lib. 6. c. 37. Heurnius, Hildesheim, Capivaccius, Forrestus, Sckenkius, and before all others Codronchus an Italian, who hath lately written two exquisite books of this subject.

Chorus sancti Viti, or S. Vitus dance; the lascivious dance, Paracelsus cals it, because they that are taken from it, can do nothing but dance till they be dead, or cured. It is so called, for that the parties so troubled were wont to go to S. Vitus for help, & after they had danced there a while, they were certainly freed.

Tis strange to hear how long they will dance, & in what manner, over stooles, formes, tables, even great bellied women sometimes (and yet never hurt their children) will dance so long that they can stir neither hand nor foot, but seem to be quite dead. One in red clothes they cannot abide. Musick above all things they love, & therefore Magistrates in Germany will hire Musicians to play to them, & some lusty sturdy companions to dance with them.

This disease hath been very common in Germany, as appears by those relations of Sckenkius, & Paracelsus is his book of Madness, who brags how many several persons he hath cured of it. Fælix Platerus de mentis alienat. cap. 3. reports of a woman in Basil whom he saw, that danced a whole month together. The Arabians call it a kinde of Palsie. Bodine in his 5. Book de Repub. cap. 1. speakes of this infirmity; Monavius in his last Epistle to Scoltizius, and in another to Dudithus, where you may read more of it.