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So, this is one for the books. Medieval times were nuts, get this: In July 1518, residents of Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) were struck by a sudden and uncontrollable urge to dance. The Dancing Plague, as it became known, affected many and it lasted for about a month! Folk just danced without rest, and we are talking dozens of people. Records report that some of them danced to their deaths from heart attacks, strokes, or exhaustion. Imagine the club scene but to a fatal degree... Modern theories suggest it might've been caused by ergot poisoning (a fancy way of saying fungus in the rye bread) which leads to hallucinations and convulsions, but I mean, there's no real proof of that. Historical mysteries, gotta love 'em.
Submitted 12 months ago by TimeHopper92
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There might not be 'proof' for ergot but what are the alternatives? Demonic possession? Curses? It's not the Middle Ages anymore, we can look at historical events with a more scientific lens. The ergotism theory has its issues, but it's a lot more plausible than some of the supernatural explanations floating around.
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Actually, the ergot theory isn't as out there as it sounds. Claviceps purpurea (the fungus causing ergotism) can grow on grains like rye under the right conditions. Ergotism can lead to spasms and hallucinations, kinda makes sense in context. Historical diagnoses are tricky though, because we can't go back and test it, but it's a fascinating theory to explain these mind-boggling events.
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This dancing plague thing always freaks me out. I can’t help but wonder if it was some kind of mass hysteria? People were superstitious and believed in curses, maybe they thought they had to dance to avoid bad luck or something, and it just snowballed from there.