But what is besides in this last Authority very observable to our Purpose, is the manner of using this Remedy, and that was (61) by _Playing upon the part affected_, which confirms what we have just now advanced concerning the Effect of the _Percussion_ of the Air upon the Contractile Fibres of the _Brain_, for _Piping upon_ any Member of the Body, cannot be suppos’d to do Service any other way, than by such Succussions and Modulated Vibrations as we before mention’d. And this indeed _Cælius Aurelianus_ (62) agrees to, who calls this Practice, _Decantare Loca dolentia_; and says, that the _Pain is mitigated and discuss’d by the Tremblings and Palpitations of the Part_.
_Aulus Gellius_ (63) not only relates this same Cure of _Ischiadic_ Ails as a thing notorious enough, but adds besides out of _Theophrastus_, that _the Musick of a Pipe rightly managed healed the Bites of Vipers_.
And not only does _Apollonius_ (64) mention the Cure of Distractions of the Mind, Epilepsies, and several other Distempers this same way; but _Democritus_ (65) in his Treatise of Plagues, taught, that _the Musick of Pipes was the Medicine for most Diseases_; which _Thales_ of _Crete_ confirmed by his Practice, when sent for by the _Lacedæmonians_ to remove from them the Pestilence, he did it by the help of Musick (66).
All which Instances do evince this Remedy to have been very ancient in many Cases; and indeed as _Cælius-Aurelianus_ (67), takes notice that the first use of it was ascrib’d to _Pythagoras_ himself, so He having settled and founded his Sect in those very Parts of _Italy_ which are the Country of the _Tarantulæ_, going then under the Name of _Græcia magna_, now _Calabria_, it is not, I think, at all improbable that he may have been the Author and Inventor of this Practice there, which has continued ever since. Especially since _Jamblichus_ affirms (68), not only that he made use of Musick in Physick, but particularly that he found out and contrived some Harmonies to ease the Passions of the Mind, and others for the _Cure of Bites_: But of Musick enough.
To conclude with this Poison, we may take notice that, as to the _Return_ of the Symptomes the next Year, That is owing to the same excessive Heat in those Months, acting again upon the small remains of the Venomous _Ferment_; thus _Bartholin_ (69) relates a Story of a Melancholy Physician at _Venice_ who suffer’d the Attacks of his Disease only during the Dog-days, which yearly ended and return’d with them. A convincing proof how great a share Heat has in all these Cases.