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The dancing plague: a public health conundrum
L J Donaldson1, J Cavanagh, J Rankin
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Public Health
|July 1, 1997
Summary
The 14th-century Dancing Plague caused mass frenzied dancing across Europe for centuries. Its exact cause remains unclear, likely a mix of factors, not a single trigger.
Area of Science:
- Historical epidemiology
- Public health
- Social history
Background:
- The Dancing Plague, a historical phenomenon of mass psychogenic illness, affected Europe from the 13th to 17th centuries.
- Characterized by uncontrollable, frenzied dancing lasting for days, it impacted large populations across various regions.
- The exact etiology of this public health anomaly remains a subject of historical and scientific inquiry.