Fernando Franzolini and the Case of Hystero-Demonopathies in Verzegnis

Abstract

The Verzegnis collective possession, studied and treated by Fernando Franzolini, represents a case of hysteria in the sense of an imbalance between involuntary or cerebral innervation, and involuntary, automatic or spinal innervation, which, in a normal state, is naturally subordinate to the former. In this mental illness, the demonopathy element is attributed as one of secondary chance: the real key to this case is the imitative contagion affecting deeply irritable minds. Stopping the contagion means isolating the women, preventing them from having contact with each other and protecting them against any suggestive influence (exorcisms, ringing of bells, collective mass). During the final stage of the epidemic the Carabinieri police authorities are to be heavily involved, ensuring that the standards of social hygiene are strictly met. The report is concluded with the announcement that the therapy has been successful.