Yes, it definitely seems to be some sort of mass hysteria, it sure would be nice if we knew more about it. [2]:134 The first major outbreak of the mania occurred between 1373 and 1374, with incidents reported in England, Germany and the Netherlands.[5]:33.

No, what you are thinking of is LSA (lysergic acid amide -- a natural psychedelic substance that does have many similar characteristics of LSD). [11]:72 Hetherington and Munro describe dancing mania as a result of "shared stress";[11]:73 people may have danced to relieve themselves of the stress and poverty of the day,[11]:72 and in so doing, attempted to become ecstatic and see visions. It is, however, thought to be as a mass psychogenic illness in which the occurrence of similar physical symptoms, with no known physical cause, affect a large group of people as a form of social influence. We are not the largest website around, but we believe we play an important role in defending truth and objectivity. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. The Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962, for example, was an outbreak of mass hysteria in Tanzania in which uncontrollable laughter, accompanied by fainting, respiratory problems, and crying, spread from a group of school girls, to the entire school, neighbouring schools, and entire villages. [2]:134, As with dancing mania, participants apparently did not like the color black,[2]:133 and women were reported to be most affected. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. [10]:60 Bartholomew notes that music was often played while participants danced, as that was believed to be an effective remedy,[2]:136 and during some outbreaks musicians were even employed to play. That is, until the effects wore off. Se trataba de grupos de personas bailando de manera irregular, a veces miles a la vez. St. John's Dance. [11]:71 In the end, most simply dropped down, overwhelmed with exhaustion. Está listado entre los mejores discos latinos de la historia, y también es parte de la lista de 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. This extraordinary phenomenon of uncontrollable dancing mania striking a city was recorded numerous times in the Middle Ages. For the infection resulting in jerking movements more often called by that name, see. 217-236). Bartholomew notes that some "paraded around naked"[2]:132 and made "obscene gestures". [2]: 132 One of the earliest known incidents occurred sometime in the 1020s in Bernburg, where 18 peasants began singing and dancing around a church, disturbing a Christmas Eve service. También aparece en la lista 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. La foto utilizada para el álbum muestra a una mujer de cabello rojo rizado que sonríe y se toca el cabello con su mano izquierda, que a su vez está dentro de un guante negro que llega hasta su codo. [5]:32 Throughout, dancers screamed, laughed, or cried,[2]:132 and some sang. [5]: 37 In the 17th century, incidents of recurrent dancing were recorded by professor of medicine Gregor Horst, who noted: Several women who annually visit the chapel of St. Vitus in Drefelhausen... dance madly all day and all night until they collapse in ecstasy. During that year, a group of 200 people were dancing so vigorously on a bridge over the Maas River that the bridge collapsed, killing many of the dancers. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_hysteria, I am a university student doing a BA degree in Archaeology. Perspectives on epidemic hysteria. [5]:35, Numerous hypotheses have been proposed for the causes of dancing mania, and it remains unclear whether it was a real illness or a social phenomenon. The association of this phenomenon with St. Vitus can be traced to an incident that happened in Germany in 1278.

There are significant undesirable side effects (nausea, diarrhea, extreme tiredness).

[6]:201 However, not all outbreaks involved foreigners, and not all were particularly calm. We’re the only Pop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. [2]:140[3]:126[5]:43[9], Other theories suggest that the symptoms were similar to encephalitis, epilepsy, and typhus, but as with ergotism, those conditions cannot account for all symptoms. Sufferers typically had symptoms resembling those of dancing mania, such as headaches, trembling, twitching and visions. My understanding is that LSD is the Pharmaceutical (patentable) derived from M.G. [5]:39, Dancing mania appears to have completely died out by the mid-17th century. It was nevertheless poorly understood, and remedies were based on guesswork.

One of the most prominent theories is that victims suffered from ergot poisoning, which was known as St. Anthony's fire in the Middle Ages. Most likely yes. Dancing mania (also known as dancing plague, choreomania, St John's Dance and, historically, St. Vitus' Dance) was a social phenomenon that occurred primarily in mainland Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. [6]:201, St Vitus' Dance was diagnosed, in the 17th century, as Sydenham chorea. "(used in modern times as a precursor in the synthesis of LSD).". At the same time, the phenomenon of the dancing mania, in all its rich perversity, reveals the extremes to which fear and supernaturalism can lead us. ), Mass psychogenic illness: A social psychological analysis (pp. Featured image: ‘The Saint John’s Dancers in Molenbeeck’ (1592) by Pieter Brueghel II. The result was mass panic, with a "cure" that allowed people to behave in ways that were, normally, prohibited at the time. [2], we believe we play an important role in defending truth and objectivity, http://www.csicop.org/si/show/rethinking_the_dancing_mania/, https://books.google.com/books?id=5DcsBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA161, https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Dancing_mania&oldid=2106303. [2]:140 Justus Hecker, a 19th-century medical writer, described it as a kind of festival, where a practice known as "the kindling of the Nodfyr" was carried out. Sufferers typically had symptoms resembling those of dancing mania, such as headaches, trembling, twitching and visions. Bartholomew also notes that dancers "could not stand pointed shoes", and that dancers enjoyed their feet being hit. [5]:33 Further incidents occurred during the 16th century, when the mania was at its peak: in 1536 in Basel, involving a group of children; and in 1551 in Anhalt, involving just one man. Nevertheless, it has been argued that the outbreaks usually do not happen during the floods or wet seasons. Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain, http://www.csicop.org/si/show/rethinking_the_dancing_mania, http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/St.+John's+Dance, http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/Books/hecker/Death_c.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_mania, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_hysteria. [8]​ Fue lanzado en agosto de 2009. [6]:201 However, not all outbreaks involved foreigners, and not all were particularly calm. Dead Viking Dynasty Invade Scottish Neolithic Tombs, 2,000-Year-Old Maya Water Purification System Would Still Work Today, The Enigma of the Winchester Mystery House, U.S. Alien-Hunters Identify 1000 Potential Watching Stations, Return of the Ancient Gods: The Resurgence of Paganism, The Comet that Changed Civilization – And May Do Again, Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think, The Little Ice Age and Its Giant Impact on Human History, Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland.

Therefore, people suffering from this condition would proceed to places dedicated to the … Sirois, F. (1982). [5]:33 Further incidents occurred during the 16th century, when the mania was at its peak: in 1536 in Basel, involving a group of children; and in 1551 in Anhalt, involving just one man. The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. We are a small non-profit with no staff – we are hundreds of volunteers who document pseudoscience and crankery around the world every day. [2]:139 Midelfort describes how the music encouraged others to join in however, and thus effectively made things worse, as did the dancing places that were sometimes set up.

Further episodes occurred in 1375 and 1376, with incidents in France, Germany and Netherlands,[2]:138 and in 1381 there was an outbreak in Augsburg. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. Sirois, F. (1982).

), Mass psychogenic illness: A social psychological analysis (pp. seeds.

Ergotism can cause hallucinations and convulsions, but cannot account for the other strange behaviour most commonly identified with dancing mania. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_mania, Wikipedia, 2014. [2]:136[2]:137 Despite being banned at the time, these rituals could be performed under the guise of uncontrollable dancing mania.