The Dancing Mania
'The Dancing Mania' Summary
Many sources discuss how dancing mania, and tarantism, may have simply been the result of stress and tension caused by natural disasters around the time, such as plagues and floods…people may have danced to relieve themselves of the stress and poverty of the day, and in doing so, attempted to become ecstatic and see visions. Sources agree that dancing mania was one of the earliest forms of mass hysteria, and describe it as a "psychic epidemic", with numerous explanations that might account for the behaviour of the dancers.
Another popular theory is that the outbreaks were all staged, and the appearance of strange behaviour was down to its unfamiliarity. Religious cults may have been acting out well-organised dances, in accordance with ancient Greek and Roman rituals. Despite being banned at the time, these rituals could be performed under the guise of uncontrollable dancing mania.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
GermanPublished In
1972Author
Justus Hecker
Germany
Justus Friedrich Karl Hecker was a German physician and medical writer, whose works appear in medical encyclopaedias and journals of the time. He particularly studied disease in relatio...
More on Justus HeckerDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Eminent Doctors: Their Lives and Their Work; Vol. 2 by George Thomas Bettany
Embark on an extraordinary journey through the annals of medical history with "Eminent Doctors: Their Lives and Their Work; Vol. 2" by George Thomas B...
Malaria in Greek History by William Henry Samuel Jones
It explores the impact of malaria on the ancient Greek world. Written in 1909, the book is a comprehensive study of the disease and its effects on Gre...
The Natural History Volume 6 by Pliny the Elder
The Natural History is a work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the Natural Histor...
Old-Time Makers of Medicine by James Joseph Walsh
The book is organized chronologically, beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire and growth of the early Christian Church. From there, Dr. Walsh det...
Dr. Elsie Inglis by Frances Balfour
In the annals of history, one name shines as a beacon of courage and determination - Dr. Elsie Inglis, a trailblazing figure who defied the norms of h...
Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale
Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is Not is a book first published by Florence Nightingale in 1859. A 76-page volume with 3 page appendix publi...
The Prospective Mother by J. Morris Slemons
This book, written for women who have no special knowledge of medicine, aims to answer the questions which occur to them in the course of pregnancy.
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
A Journal of the Plague Year is a book by Daniel Defoe, first published in March 1722. It is an account of one man's experiences of the year 1665, in...
A Surgeon In Arms by Robert James Manion
This is an enthralling tale that transports readers to the heart of a conflict-ridden world, where the boundaries between life and death blur within t...
The Major Symptoms of Hysteria by Pierre Janet
Janet summarizes the (at the time) cutting edge perspective on the various forms of hysteria. The syndromes include generalized amnesic states and con...
Reviews for The Dancing Mania
No reviews posted or approved, yet...