In 1518, a strange affliction struck the town of Strausborg, in what is now modern day France. It all started in July of 1518 when one woman named Mrs. Troffea started dancing uncontrollably in the middle of Strasbourg. Within a week more than thirty townsfolk had joined her. Their bodies moving, jumping, and swaying.
The madness or sickness took the city by storm, within the next month some nearly four-hundred people would begin the dance. While this may sound like an awesome party to attend, this was not a fun time. The dancers could not stop, or refused to stop.
For hours, days, and weeks this continued. People afflicted with this illness began to collapse and some perished due to heart attacks, strokes, or exhaustion and exposure. Some reports, though debated, say that the plague took up to fifteen lives per day. In an attempt to quell the spread of the plague Nobles, Priests, and doctors came together to discuss the best way to stop the sickness.
Their incredible suggestion was to simply "Dance out" the plague. They constructed wooden stages, opened guild halls to allow "Dancers" inside, and nobles paid for musicians to play day and night. i mean i know it is the 1500's, but wow. while the main cause of the dancing plague is still debated today. Some scientists do put forward an interesting theory.
Food Poisoning.
Food poisoning due to a bacteria known as ergot fungi, which has psychotropic properties. The affects of this bacteria, which grows on wheat, are similar to LSD. The growing theory, pun intended, is that this bacteria was ingested by a large number of the population causing the actions of some people. however, most agree given the time period that mass hysteria may have also played a role. It is possible that some were simply swept up in the incident and were led to dance through more or less peer pressure.
An interesting final note is that some scholars and supporters of this theory think it could have had an effect on towns during the Salem witch trial era. It seems infecting a population with LSD could make people act a little crazy. Who knew!?
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