Pills to Purge Melancholy
During the 18th century, music and medicine were closely connected and the effects of music on the body and soul started being researched. Essays like medicina musica and reflections on the power of music were some of the first to discuss a scientific approach to music as therapy, but there also was a general fascination amongst musicians and composers. Marin Marais wrote a piece based on his own gallbladder operation, Thomas D’Urfey aimed to create a musical antidote for depression and in Italy, dancing a Tarantella was said to heal spider bites.