The Epidemics of the Middle AgesHecker, J. F. C. (Justus Friedrich Carl)
History
The Epidemics of the Middle Ages
Hecker, J. F. C. (Justus Friedrich Carl)
Black Death; Epidemics -- History; Hysteria, Epidemic
“In the afternoon the motions returned, and proceeded much as in the
morning. At this time a person present, surprised at the manner in
which she beat upon the doors, &c., and thinking he recognised the
air, without further ceremony began to sing the tune; the moment this
struck her ears, she turned suddenly to the man, and dancing directly
up to him, continued doing so till he was out of breath. The man now
ceased a short time, when commencing again, he continued till the
attack stopped. The night before this, her father had mentioned his
wish to procure a drum, associating this dance of his daughter with
some ideas of music. The avidity with which she danced to the tune
when sung as above stated, confirmed this wish, and accordingly a drum
and fife were procured in the evening. After two hours of rest, the
motions again reappeared, when the drum and fife began to play the air
to which she had danced before, viz. the ‘Protestant Boys,’ a favourite
popular air in this neighbourhood. In whatever part of the room she
happened to be, she immediately turned and danced up to the drum, and
as close as possible to it, and there she danced till she missed the
step, when the involuntary motions instantly ceased. The first time she
missed the step in five minutes; but again rose, and danced to the drum
two minutes and a half by her father’s watch, when, missing the step,
the motions instantly ceased. She rose a third time, and missing the
step in half a minute, the motions immediately ceased. After this, the
drum and fife commenced as the involuntary actions were coming on, and
before she rose from her seat; and four times they completely checked
the progress of the attack, so that she did not rise upon the floor to
dance. At this period the affection ceased for the evening.
“March 1. She arose very well at half-past seven. Upon my visit this
morning, the circumstances of the preceding afternoon being stated, it
appeared clear to me, that the attacks had been shortened. Slow as I
had seen the effects of medicine in the comparatively trifling disease
of young females, I was very willing that the family should pursue the
experiment, whilst the medical means were continued.
“As I wished to see the effect of the instrument over the disease, I
was sent for at noon, when I found her dancing to the drum, which she
continued to do for half an hour without missing the step, owing to the
slowness of the movement. As I sat counting the pulse, which I found
to be 120, in the short intervals of an attack, I noticed motions of
the lips, previous to the commencement of the dance, and placing my
ear near the mouth I distinguished a tune. After the attack of which
this was the beginning, she informed me, in answer to my inquiry, that
there always was a tune dwelling upon her mind, which at times becoming
more pressing, irresistibly impelled her to commence the involuntary
motions. The motions ceased at four o’clock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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