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

  • Davidson, Andrew, 1836-1918.
Date:
1867
Catalogue details

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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    which the will, intellectual faculties, and moral feelings are all more or less perverted, with an irresistible impulse to motion, and an insane love of musie, often sporadic, but with a tendency in certain circumstances to become epidemic. The first appearance of the dancing mania on record, occurred at Kolbig, in the year 1021. Unfortunately, we cannot rely upon the accuracy of the accounts of it that have come down to us, as they are undoubtedly mixed up with the fabulous. The simple fact that such an event occurred can alone be accepted as historical; beyond this there is no certainty. The tradition is, that a dozen of country people having been seized with this disease during the time of divine service, the priest, Ruprecht, cursed them to dance and howl for twelve months for having interrupted the worship, and that this curse was only removed by the prayers and inter- cession of two bishops, that four of the twelve died, and the remaining eight continued to suffer from tremblings of the limbs during the rest of their lives. Then, again, in the year 1278, two hundred persons were seized with it at Utrecht, and while dancing on the Mosel Bridge, the structure gave way, and many of them perished. But perhaps the first remarkable outbreak occurred in the year 1374, under the name of St John’s dance, because it began on St Jolm’s day, which was observed in the earlier centuries in the most outrageous manner, with mirth, debauchery, and dancing. It seems to be this epidemic which is referred to by Frank, and, strangely enough, supposed by him to have been owing to ergotism. “ At Aix la Chapelle,” says Hecker, “ assemblages of men and women were seen who had come out of Germany, and who were united by one common delusion. They formed circles hand in hand, and, appearing to have lost all control over their senses, continued to dance, regardless of the bystanders, for hours together in wild delirium, until at length they fell to the ground in a state of exhaustion. They then complained of extreme oppression, and groaned as if in the agonies of death until they were swathed in cloths bound tightly round their waists, upon which they again recovered.” The swathing, which was rendered more effective by the aid of a turn-stick, was resorted to on account of tympany. While dancing they were said to have been insensible to external impressions, but haunted by religious visions and caprices of various kinds. The attacks often commenced with convulsions, difficulty of breathing, and mental depression. Beaked shoes very much excited the resentment of the dancers. In Liege, the manu- facture of these fashionable articles was forbidden by law. Red colours seem to have been even more offensive, the influence of which, Ilccker suggc.sts, might lead us to imagine an extraordinary accordance between this spasmodic malady and the condition of infuriated animals: tlic fact, however, that in other epidemics tlic affected were enraptured with red coloiins, goes against this ingenious