words

tarantism
n. - A hysterical malady, characterized by an extreme impulse to dance, which prevailed as an epidemic in Apulia and adjacent parts of Italy from the 15th to the 17th century, popularly attributed to the bite or ‘sting’ of the tarantula.
Dancing was sometimes held to be a symptom or consequence of the malady, sometimes practised as a sovereign cure for it.

cf. tarantella