Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id MAA18825 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 2 May 2001 12:41:02 +0100 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: Dance craze X-Remote_Addr: 195.195.65.222 Message-Id: <E14uuwc-000HcL-00@gaea.uk.clara.net> From: Douglas Brooker <dbrooker@clara.co.uk> Date: Wed, 02 May 2001 12:37:22 +0100 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> I may be wrong but I believe, dance crazes in Europe were closely
associated
> with outbreaks of the plague, and dance crazes were often the results
of the
> profound psychological impact of plagues on small commmunities.
Exactly why
> dance became the favoured outlet, I don't know. Maybe people thought
> vigourous movement kept the plague at bay.
Here's a link on an outbreak of St Vistus's Dance in 1418.
http://plague.law.umkc.edu/Books/hecker/Death13.htm
> A similar occurrence that comes to me is the recent argument that
witch
> hunts were closely related to certain kinds of food poisoning (I
forget the
> damn condition now, I know it had to do with rye) that produced the
fever,
> hallucinations, and violent spasms that people of the time
interpreted as
> bewitchment. They would then looked for someone unpopular in the
community
> to declare a witch, and hang, burn etc.
Ergotism, rye infected with the fungus "Claviceps purpurea" - there is
a chemical relationship with lysergic acid.
Alcohol is a likely candidate. Also events like witchhunts or
revolutions can be used to settle old scores or as means of acquiring
other's property (as in the american and other revolutions)
D
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