STRANGE DANCING MANIA.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1277, 4 November 1911, Page 9

STRANGE DANCING MANIA.

WEIRD EPIDEMIC IN SOUTH OF EUROPE. An interesting article- appeared in the London "Times recently from a correspondent at Tread, which is tho ancient district of Troy, dealing with a revival of th: weird epidemic that raged in Europe in the Middle Ages known as Tarantisr.i, so-called because of the similarity of the "dance" to that of the Tarantula-bitten. The, writer says: — "Come, 'tchelebi,' come and see tho girls dancing in the beanfiold," said a Greek ploughman, running up to me one hot afternoon in Juno last. "Why are they dancing when they should be pulling beans at this time of day?" I naturally aiked. "They are dancing because they can't help themselves, poor things. St. George has pot them in his power and kiops them hopping." I was too busy at the moment to go. Bnt the same evening a shrill outcry arose from the women's quarters Cries of "The girls are dancing arnin" were heard en all sides.

Making our way to the room whence proceeded the loudost hubbub, my wife and I fonnd it filled with a crowd of shrieking; wwping, gesticulating women, in th* midst of'whom were (ho four afflicted, girls, their legs, arms, and bodies in twitching motions like (licfc of marionettes. Two of them were executing a sort of slow dance, closely resembling tho dance which they who are bitten by the tarantula are under compulsion to perform

A third was taking a series of terrifying "headers" on to the cement floor that raisjht have, been expected to break her nk-nll, though, strange to say, whsn the fit was over she appeared without a scratch or a bruise. The fourth was working her arms backwards and forwards with a kind of sawing, Swedish drill-like movement.

That nil were sufforing great distress was evident from thoir staring, anxious eves and laboured breathing. Clc-rly the first form of relief was to remove then into quieter surroundings. 'So wo had them out into the garden, away from the tumult of their agitated friends; and there, having in mind the orisrin of the Tarantella, «•■» first tried the effect nf a lively dance tunc on the piano. This proving unsuccessful, we next had recourse, to followed nn bv doA?s of valerianate of zinc. Tn loss thai twenty minutes their nerves b«d calmed down, the spasmodic movements wa'od, nnd they were breathing quietly. ,;; They were convinced, however, that •what they had snFerpcl was due to no 'disease. l r ,it to lit" spiritual prompting of St. George. All the same, fli*y were not-sorry-to have recovered. Two d.iVs later, at about, the same hour, all fr»';r had another fit. But our remedies now aeted even more quickly'fh.m on the first occasion, and since then tlwse "iris h*re had no return of the »vil. The -present epidemic seems urgently to claim the attention cf modern merhV.il science, and e!<-o perhaps of the societies fo r psychical r<»x!rirch._ Fn r the mania, now nppnrenf'v in an incipient starre. is e.viiisr emund from yrar to venr. Tf has not vet spread to any o.f Hie ndjnon-it town*'and villages; but T am credibly informed that anaUvro'ie have recently occurred in <!>« small island cf Mnrnmra and *>t Baloukli. a suburb of Po«sfji!itijinn>. £We competent invosti.rrntoT-s should visit Yrr.ishohr when the nevt e„tbre->k is duo, say, in tho first we.»k of Mnv, 1912.