Slybacon Posted October 17, 2011 The Dancing Plague (or Dance Epidemic) of 1518 was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, France (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) in July 1518. Numerous people took to dancing for days without rest, and, over the period of about one month, some of the people died from heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Plague_of_1518 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FancyPants Posted October 18, 2011 Wow never heard of that! I wonder if the town's water was polluted during the apparent floods and drought. Or someone spiked it with a whole lotta saffron or ephedra Anyone seen the movie Perfume? Orgy scene is Orgiastic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marcel Posted October 18, 2011 I've heard of this, and similar phenomena. This was actually something I was briefly obsessed with a few years ago. With the 1518 dancing epidemic, there are two schools of thought: those, like tipz, that suspect ergotism and those that pin it to a Mass Psychogenic Illness, or MPI. There are many similar mass hysteria occurrences around the world and throughout time. The most amazing is the Kenyan laughter epidemic of 1962. Those girls had a good time! There's a whole heap of these listed here. Some great reading! Make sure to read the entry on Korean fan death! (Unless you're Korean and don't have air-con this coming summer.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheather Posted October 18, 2011 Yeah I've heard a bit about that, most people seem convinced of something along the lines of ergotism, which was pretty prevalent in those times. I'm inclined to side with them, but I think the reports not too accurate. If they'd danced for days without pause they'd have died from either dehydration, exertion, or lack of sleep... The dancing could have been misrepresented seizures or something? Just another random thought... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qualia Posted October 18, 2011 (edited) fan death? The heat wave which has encompassed Korea for about a week, has generated various heat-related accidents and deaths. At least 10 people died from the effects of electric fans which can remove oxygen from the air and lower body temperatures...On Friday in eastern Seoul, a 16-year-old girl died from suffocation after she fell asleep in her room with an electric fan in motion. The death toll from fan-related incidents reached 10 during the past week. Medical experts say that this type of death occurs when one is exposed to electric fan breezes for long hours in a sealed area. "Excessive exposure to such a condition lowers one's temperature and hampers blood circulation. And it eventually leads to the paralysis of heart and lungs," says a medical expert. "To prevent such an accident, one should keep the windows open and not expose oneself directly to fan air," he advised. holy shit and i thought our media was full of it Edited October 18, 2011 by qualia Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheather Posted October 18, 2011 I think "for long hours in a sealed area" has more to do with it than the fans taking oxygen from the air. They probably can, but in miniscule amounts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FancyPants Posted October 19, 2011 If ergotism is anything remotely like an LSA experience, then I can't imagine the impetus needed to dance for days straight. Unlocking onesself from inside the couch you're laying on is hard enough... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
