THE DANCING PLAGUE of 1518 - Dance Away!

What I'm about to tell you is a bizarre unsolved mystery, that has been approached from the real historical documents from the relevant era. The sources include that this event actually took place, such as the Strasbourg city council notes. But in some details, the sources seem to be contradictory.

_Source
Detail from a 1642 engraving by Hendrik Hondius, based on Peter Breughel's 1564 drawing depicting sufferers of a dance epidemic occurring in Molenbeek that year

"The Dancing Plague of 1518" was a weird and unexplained incident that occurred in the summer of 1518 in Strasbourg, France. Hundreds of people, largely women, began to dance in the streets wildly, frequently for days on end. The dance plague's cause has never been properly explained, and it remains one of history's most odd and perplexing mysteries.

The dancing pandemic was first documented in mid-July 1518 when a woman named Frau Troffea began dancing in the streets of Strasbourg. She danced for hours and hours, and by the end of the day, numerous other women had joined her. The dancing spread and soon hundreds of people were dancing in the streets, often collapsing from weariness.

Despite the growing number of persons afflicted, no one knew what was generating the dance, and local officials were stumped as to how to explain it. Some thought the dancers were possessed by demons, while others blamed the heat and said the dancing was a type of mass hysteria.

As the dancing progressed, it took on a more menacing tone. Some dancers began to have hallucinations and seizures, while others died as a result of tiredness or heart attacks. Despite this, the dance continued, with new cases being reported on a daily basis.

The local authorities were unclear on how to handle the situation, and they did little to stop the dancing at first. But, as the number of dancers increased, they became concerned about the impact on the city's economy, as many dancers were unable to work. The government prepared a series of processions in an attempt to stop the dancing, believing that the sight of religious symbols and ceremonies would calm the dancers.

The processions, however, had little effect, and the dance spread. Authorities eventually took more harsh steps, and several dancers were forcibly removed from the streets and placed in hospitals or asylums. The dancing gradually subsided, and by the end of September, the disease had passed.

_Source
Detail from a copy on blue paper of Peter Breughel's 1564 drawing depicting sufferers of a dance epidemic occurring in Molenbeek that year

The reason for the 1518 dancing pandemic is still unknown today. Some speculate that it was caused by ergot poisoning, a sickness induced by eating rye tainted with a fungus that causes hallucinations and convulsions. Others have hypothesized that the dancing was a manifestation of mass hysteria caused by stress and social instability.

Whatever the reason, the 1518 dance disease remains one of history's biggest enigmas. It serves as a reminder of the unique and frequently unexplainable ways in which the human mind and body may be influenced, as well as the strength of social and cultural factors to mold our behavior and ideas. While we may never know the complete tale behind the dancing epidemic, it serves as a poignant reminder of the mysteries that still remain in our world, ready to be discovered and investigated.

Source for the article: PublicDomain, Wikipedia