The Dance Epidemic in Europe during the Middle Ages
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Published 2024-06-29
00:40 Origin of the Disease Name
00:57 Outbreak of Dancing Mania in 1021
01:48 Outbreak of 1237
02:10 Legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin
03:09 Description of Disease Outbreaks in the 13th and 14th Centuries
04:28 Dancing Mania in Strasbourg in 1518
05:34 Unsuccessful Attempts to Cure the Disease in Strasbourg
06:29 Return to Traditional Treatment Methods
07:55 Diagnosis and Medical Recommendations of Paracelsus
08:59 Outbreak of 1564 in Molenbeek
09:27 Tarantism
10:49 Tarantella
11:21 Symptoms of the Disease
13:02 Modern Attempts at Diagnosis
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In this video, I talked about the dancing epidemic in the Middle Ages, which was named "St. Vitus Dance." Numerous cases of involuntary prolonged dances involving a significant number of people have been documented. This phenomenon got its name because, according to the beliefs of medieval people, Saint Vitus or St. John the Baptist could punish sinners by making them dance. Accordingly, prayer to these saints could heal a person.
Outbreaks of dance mania in Europe in different centuries are described, including the mass dances in Strasbourg in 1518, as recounted by the physician Paracelsus.
In Italy, a variety of "St. Vitus Dance" was called tarantism, where people, seeking to cure themselves from the bite of a tarantula, would start dancing. This dance would last for several hours until the dancer was completely exhausted, often followed by complete or partial amnesia. It was believed that hours of dancing to music would cure the victim of the tarantula bite.
Naturally, special orchestras were created for the musical accompaniment of these dances. As a result, a beautiful folk dance emerged, which can be called a symbol of modern Italy – the tarantella.