Dancing disease was the name given to an epidemic nervous disorder apparently allied to hysteria and chorea, ocassionally prevalent in Germany and Italy during the middle ages. In 1734, during the celebration of the festival of St John at Aix-la-Chapelle, the streets became crowded with men and women of all ranks and ages, who commenced dancing in a wild and frantic manner until they dropped down from fatigue. The mania spread to Cologne, Metx, and Strasburg, and gave rise to much imposture, profligacey, and disorder. At the beginning of the 17th century the epidemic began to decline, and since the late 19th century has only been known now as a nervous affection in individual cases. Research Dancing Disease
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Abbreviations
Research Dancing Disease
