Dancing plague of 1518

Saint John’s Dancers in Molenbeeck’ (1592) by Pieter Brueghel II

The Dancing Plague of 1518 was an instance of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (now part of France), in the Holy Roman Empire from July to September 1518. An estimated 50 to 400 people were afflicted with this uncontrollable urge to dance, which in some cases lasted for days on end.

Background and Outbreak

The outbreak began in July 1518, when a woman named Frau Troffea began to dance fervently in a street in Strasbourg. Within a week, 34 others had joined her, and within a month, there were around 400 dancers. Many of these people reportedly danced for days without rest, and over the period, some of them died from heart attacks, strokes, or exhaustion.

Possible Explanations

The precise cause of the Dancing Plague of 1518 is unknown. Over the years, several theories have been proposed, including mass hysteria and ergot poisoning. Some modern-day researchers suggest the participants might have been members of a religious cult, while others suggest they may have been performing an act of penance.

Mass Hysteria: Given the socioeconomic and political conditions of the time, the area was ripe for a mass psychogenic illness, a collective behavior where physical symptoms manifest with no identifiable cause. Ergot Poisoning: Ergot, a mold that grows on rye, can have hallucinogenic effects and cause convulsions. It's possible that the affected individuals had consumed bread made from ergot-infected grain.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The Dancing Plague of 1518 remains one of the most peculiar events in medical history, often cited as one of the earliest and clearest cases of mass psychogenic illness. It has been the subject of numerous books, articles, and documentaries, and continues to intrigue historians, medical professionals, and the general public alike.

See also

• Ergotism
• Mass psychogenic illness
• Dancing mania
• Tanganyika laughter epidemic

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