Choreomania, an historical sketch : with some account of an epidemic observed in Madagascar / by Andrew Davidson.

  • Davidson, Andrew, 1836-1918.
Date:
1867
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Choreomania, an historical sketch : with some account of an epidemic observed in Madagascar / by Andrew Davidson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    the most recent, and undoubtedly one of our best text-books on medicine by Dr Aitken,^ the same confusion occurs. Thus, treat- ing of chorea, he writes as follows :—“ In Germany, it was said for two centuries to have been epidemic, and the patients, probably many of them maniacs, were wont to join in frantic dances; and as late as 1673, they went in procession to the church of some favourite saint, of whom St John, St Guy, and St Vitus were the most reputed.”^ Now, the chorea of modern nosologists was never said to have been epidemic; that which was epidemic was clearly a different disease altogether. Sir Thomas Watson® has appended to his lecture on chorea a short statement regarding the original disease, which proves that he recognises its true character. “ The name,” he justly remarks, “ was applied, and much more suitably, to another set of symptoms of a most singular kind, concerning the real occurrence of which we might well be sceptical if we had not the authentic narratives of many instances of such disorder from different persons of credit, as well in this country as in others An affection characterized by movements which cannot be called spasmodic, but are rather owing to the irresistible propensity to muscular action, increased sometimes to a sort of mania by the force of imitation, or by the sound of music. It is the volition in this case that is morbid' or perverse.” ^ To increase the confusion, some authors have classed with choreoraania many anomalous forms of nervous mani- festation, some of which are evidently the result of organic disease of the nervous centres. Such are the cases recorded by Sagar and others, of patients who could only go forwards or backwards, or these singular diseases described as rotatio and malleatio. Choreomania is undoubtedly distinct from spasmodic chorea on the one hand, and from these singular forms of perverted motion on the other. The various epidemics have been admirably described by Hecker, to whose work ® those desirous of information may refer, and in which the curious will find references to and quotations from the original authorities on this subject. Some very interesting information is also to be found in Hgeser’s History of Epidemic Diseases.® Choreomania may be defined as a psycho-physical disease, in ‘ The Science and Practice of Medicine. By William Aitken, M.D. New ed. Vol. ii. pp. 337 and 338. ^ It is a popular mistake to suppose tliat the patients suffering from this dis- order resorted to the shrine of St Jolm, as they did to that of St Vitus, for relief; the origin of the title, dance of St JoJm, requires a perfectly different explanation. Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Physic. By Tliomas Watson, M.D. 4th ed. Vol. i. p. 579. Paracelsus conceived that in the dancing mania the volition was temporarilj’^ suspended, not prevented. ® Tlie Epidemics of the Middle Ages. From tlie German of J. F. C. flecker. 3d ed. Lond. Pp. 80 to 1G7. ® Gescliichte der Epidcmisclien Krankheiten. Von Dr II. llwser. 8vo, Jena, 18G5.