On a July day in 1518, Frau Troffea stepped into a small side street in Strasbourg, France and began to dance. She was still dancing a week later and had been joined by another hundred or so with a similar urge.
As the end of the month approached the numbers reached over 400 and the town leaders were sure the only cure was to continue dancing. Musicians were hired, halls cleared and professional dancers engaged to keep the afflicted on their feet.
Within a short time the weak began to die and eventually those remaining were herded aboard wagons and taken to a healing shrine. The dancing epidemic did not abate until September.
Entranced Dancers
Dr John Waller explores the epidemic in his book ‘A Time to Dance, A Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518’.
“That the event took place is undisputed,” writes Dr Waller. “These people were not just trembling, shaking or convulsing; although they were entranced, their arms and legs were moving as if they were purposely dancing.”
The Dancing Plagues of Europe
The scenes in Strasbourg were not unique, says Dr Waller. Although the events of 1518 are the most clearly documented, similar incidents had been reported as many as 10 times, an occurrence in 1374 affected many towns in Belgium, north-eastern France and Luxembourg.
What Was the Cause of the Dancing Epidemic?
Dr Waller feels a physiological answer is unlikely. A popular theory had been that the dancers had ingested ergot, a psychotropic mould that grows on rye stalks. Although this could promote delusions and spasms, Dr Waller notes the fact that it also reduces blood flow to the extremities making coordinated movement extremely difficult.
Membership of a heretical cult was also muted as a possible cause. However, reports state the dancers were reluctant, expressed great distress at their predicament and pleaded for help. Tellingly, there are no indications the sufferers were regarded as heretics.
Mass Hysteria
Dr Miller feels mass hysteria, similar to that encountered during the Tanzanian Laughter Epidemic of 1962, is a much more likely reason for the trance like state that fuelled the epidemic. He explains there is a historical context to take into consideration.
A trance state is more prominent among those under extreme emotional stress who also believe in the possibility of spirit possession. These criteria were apparent in Strasbourg in 1518.
The poor of the city at that time were victims of famine and disease and, vitally, believed in St Vitus who had the power to control minds and cause wild, compulsive dancing. This combination proved highly combustible.
Once the St Vitus curse was anticipated it increased the likelihood of a trance state and consequently succumbing to the curse of St Vitus. Once in the apparent cursed state it fed the population's belief that they had little choice but to act in the way of the accursed.
The Strange Power of the Human Brain
Seemingly disconnected events and beliefs can be processed in the human brain to result in extraordinary and occasionally alarming behaviour. The dancing epidemic of 1518 is another example of the remarkable potential and capability of the human mind.
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