"By the end of August 1518, nearly 400 people had experienced the madness."(Waller, n.p.) John Waller, a leading expert on the dancing plague of 1518, had this to say on the strange occurrences in a small, French town during 1518(Waller, n.p.). There is still much debate as to what caused the dancing plague to occur in 1518. Some people believe it was caused by the ingestion of ergot by the local people of Strasbourg, France(Israel, n.p). Others believe it was caused by a mass hysteria that broke out amongst the local towns people(Waller, n.p.). While there are many theories and beliefs about what actually caused the Dancing Plague of 1518, the actual cause was a religious belief mixed with the conditions the people had to endure at the time.
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A common belief is that the people had ingested a psychotropic known as ergot. Ergot grows on rye and when it is ingested it creates an effect in the human body known as ergotism. Ergotism, known as St.Anthony's Fire or the Holy Fire at the time, caused the muscles to spasm uncontrollably and makes the afflicted to contort and writhe in agony. (Wong,n.p.)
Rye was a commonly grown grain in France during the time that the dancing plague occurred, so it is easy to see why people would believe this was the cause of the epidemic. Rye was readily available in the area of the outbreak during the time it occurred. It was also eaten by nearly all of the poor in the area at the time due to its high availability. Ergot was also a common thing to grow on rye at the time. In fact, until the mid 1800's people believed that the ergot was a part of the rye.(Wong,n.p.) The cool, wet climate of Strasbourg, France is a prime spot for ergot to grow on rye. When ergot occurs it replaces the grain on the rye and the grain becomes a dark purple color. Ergot occurred more commonly during the wet season because the flower on the rye plant stayed open longer causing a larger likely hood of ergot growing. Strasbourg is located on the Rhine River which caused the rye crop to be exposed to more moisture, thus creating more ergot on the Rye. (Wong,
A common belief is that the people had ingested a psychotropic known as ergot. Ergot grows on rye and when it is ingested it creates an effect in the human body known as ergotism. Ergotism, known as St.Anthony's Fire or the Holy Fire at the time, caused the muscles to spasm uncontrollably and makes the afflicted to contort and writhe in agony. (Wong,n.p.)
Rye was a commonly grown grain in France during the time that the dancing plague occurred, so it is easy to see why people would believe this was the cause of the epidemic. Rye was readily available in the area of the outbreak during the time it occurred. It was also eaten by nearly all of the poor in the area at the time due to its high availability. Ergot was also a common thing to grow on rye at the time. In fact, until the mid 1800's people believed that the ergot was a part of the rye.(Wong,n.p.) The cool, wet climate of Strasbourg, France is a prime spot for ergot to grow on rye. When ergot occurs it replaces the grain on the rye and the grain becomes a dark purple color. Ergot occurred more commonly during the wet season because the flower on the rye plant stayed open longer causing a larger likely hood of ergot growing. Strasbourg is located on the Rhine River which caused the rye crop to be exposed to more moisture, thus creating more ergot on the Rye. (Wong,