So you think you know what’s going on inside her head

On June 24th, in 1354, the largest outbreak of Choreomania occurred in Aachen, Germany.It subsequently spread to other cities in Germany, the low countries, and Italy.

This phenomenon has been called, variously, Dancing Mania, Dancing Plague, and St. Vitus’ Dance. At the time, the cause was attributed to a curse sent by St. John the Baptist or St. Vitus, due to correlations between the outbreaks and the June feast days of those saints. Much later, the evolution of medical science diagnosed St. Vitus’ Dance as Sydenham’s chorea, an involuntary jerking of the hands, feet and face.

The mass phenomenon of the middle ages, however, is more often considered a social affliction rather than a medical one. The outbreaks are described as affecting up to tens of thousands of people at a time, making contagions or similar causes (such as spider bites) an improbable source.

The Aachen outbreak and other large outbreaks of the Dancing Plague occurred during times of economic hardship. This has suggested one medical cause, a hallucinogenic effect of a grain fungus that can spread with flooding and damp periods.

The affliction was said to be deadly, with the only cure being the playing of the right music.

Similarly, I have been trying to sooth the violent convulsions in this morning’s financial markets by playing selected songs from less troubled times. Feel free to join me.