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\u2018Dancing Mania\u2019 - in which people spontaneously danced to exhaustion, some until they broke their ribs and subsequently died, took hold of Aachen, Germany on 24th June, 1374.\nWe still don\u2019t really know why. Had the victims ingested ergot, a mould from rye bread that can inspire hallucinations? Was it a hysterical mass response to a stressful and traumatic environment? Or a kind of pre-smartphone flashmob?\xa0\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider the likely causes and cures for this curious episode, learn about the equally extraordinary phenomenon of Tarantism, and play \u2018guess the Saintly disease\u2019...\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018A Strange Case of Dancing Mania Struck Germany Six Centuries Ago\u2019, Smithsonian Magazine (2016)\nhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/strange-case-dancing-mania-struck-germany-six-centuries-ago-today-180959549/\n\u2022 \u2018A forgotten plague: making sense of dancing mania\u2019, The Lancet (2009):\nhttps://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(09)60386-X/fulltext\n\u2022 \u2018Tarantism: A Rhythm For Your Soul\u2019\xa0\n(Giuliano Capani, 2008) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6fB4oInT7A\nTo hear bonus material this and every week*, support the show NOW at\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors! (*top two tiers only)\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.\n#1300s #Strange #Macabre #Germany\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices