the black death and the dancing mania-第19节

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taking　place　after　the　attacks；　although　it　may　occasionally　have　occurred；　and　Schenck　von　Graffenberg；　a　celebrated　physician　of　the　latter　half　of　the　sixteenth　century；　speaks　of　this　disease　as　having　been　frequent　only　in　the　time　of　his　forefathers；　his　descriptions；　however；　are　applicable　to　the　whole　of　that　century；　and　to　the　close　of　the　fifteenth。　　The　St。　Vitus's　dance　attacked　people　of　all　stations；　especially　those　who　led　a　sedentary　life；　such　as　shoemakers　and　tailors；　but　even　the　most　robust　peasants　abandoned　their　labours　in　the　fields；　as　if　they　were　possessed　by　evil　spirits；　and　thus　those　affected　were　seen　assembling　indiscriminately；　from　time　to　time；　at　certain　appointed　places；　and；　unless　prevented　by　the　lookers…on；　continuing　to　dance　without　intermission；　until　their　very　last　breath　was　expended。　　Their　fury　and　extravagance　of　demeanour　so　completely　deprived　them　of　their　senses；　that　many　of　them　dashed　their　brains　out　against　the　walls　and　corners　of　buildings；　or　rushed　headlong　into　rapid　rivers；　where　they　found　a　watery　grave。　　Roaring　and　foaming　as　they　were；　the　bystanders　could　only　succeed　in　restraining　them　by　placing　benches　and　chairs　in　their　way；　so　that；　by　the　high　leaps　they　were　thus　tempted　to　take；　their　strength　might　be　exhausted。　　As　soon　as　this　was　the　case；　they　fell　as　it　were　lifeless　to　the　ground；　and；　by　very　slow　degrees；　again　recovered　their　strength。　　Many　there　were　who；　even　with　all　this　exertion；　had　not　expended　the　violence　of　the　tempest　which　raged　within　them；　but　awoke　with　newly…revived　powers；　and　again　and　again　mixed　with　the　crowd　of　dancers；　until　at　length　the　violent　excitement　of　their　disordered　nerves　was　allayed　by　the　great　involuntary　exertion　of　their　limbs；　and　the　mental　disorder　was　calmed　by　the　extreme　exhaustion　of　the　body。　Thus　the　attacks　themselves　were　in　these　cases；　as　in　their　nature　they　are　in　all　nervous　complaints；　necessary　crises　of　an　inward　morbid　condition　which　was　transferred　from　the　sensorium　to　the　nerves　of　motion；　and；　at　an　earlier　period；　to　the　abdominal　plexus；　where　a　deep…seated　derangement　of　the　system　was　perceptible　from　the　secretion　of　flatus　in　the　intestines。

The　cure　effected　by　these　stormy　attacks　was　in　many　cases　so　perfect；　that　some　patients　returned　to　the　factory　or　the　plough　as　if　nothing　had　happened。　　Others；　on　the　contrary；　paid　the　penalty　of　their　folly　by　so　total　a　loss　of　power；　that　they　could　not　regain　their　former　health；　even　by　the　employment　of　the　most　strengthening　remedies。　　Medical　men　were　astonished　to　observe　that　women　in　an　advanced　state　of　pregnancy　were　capable　of　going　through　an　attack　of　the　disease　without　the　slightest　injury　to　their　offspring；　which　they　protected　merely　by　a　bandage　passed　round　the　waist。　　Cases　of　this　kind　were　not　infrequent　so　late　as　Schenck's　time。　　That　patients　should　be　violently　affected　by　music；　and　their　paroxysms　brought　on　and　increased　by　it；　is　natural　with　such　nervous　disorders；　where　deeper　impressions　are　made　through　the　ear；　which　is　the　most　intellectual　of　all　the　organs；　than　through　any　of　the　other　senses。　　On　this　account　the　magistrates　hired　musicians　for　the　purpose　of　carrying　the　St。　Vitus's　dancers　so　much　the　quicker　through　the　attacks；　and　directed　that　athletic　men　should　be　sent　among　them　in　order　to　complete　the　exhaustion；　which　had　been　often　observed　to　produce　a　good　effect。　　At　the　same　time　there　was　a　prohibition　against　wearing　red　garments；　because；　at　the　sight　of　this　colour；　those　affected　became　so　furious　that　they　flew　at　the　persons　who　wore　it；　and　were　so　bent　upon　doing　them　an　injury　that　they　could　with　difficulty　be　restrained。　　They　frequently　tore　their　own　clothes　whilst　in　the　paroxysm；　and　were　guilty　of　other　improprieties；　so　that　the　more　opulent　employed　confidential　attendants　to　accompany　them；　and　to　take　care　that　they　did　no　harm　either　to　themselves　or　others。　　This　extraordinary　disease　was；　however；　so　greatly　mitigated　in　Schenck's　time；　that　the　St。　Vitus's　dancers　had　long　since　ceased　to　stroll　from　town　to　town；　and　that　physician；　like　Paracelsus；　makes　no　mention　of　the　tympanitic　inflation　of　the　bowels。　Moreover；　most　of　those　affected　were　only　annually　visited　by　attacks；　and　the　occasion　of　them　was　so　manifestly　referable　to　the　prevailing　notions　of　that　period；　that　if　the　unqualified　belief　in　the　supernatural　agency　of　saints　could　have　been　abolished；　they　would　not　have　had　any　return　of　the　complaint。　Throughout　the　whole　of　June；　prior　to　the　festival　of　St。　John；　patients　felt　a　disquietude　and　restlessness　which　they　were　unable　to　overcome。　　They　were　dejected；　timid；　and　anxious；　wandered　about　in　an　unsettled　state；　being　tormented　with　twitching　pains；　which　seized　them　suddenly　in　different　parts；　and　eagerly　expected　the　eve　of　St。　John's　day；　in　the　confident　hope　that　by　dancing　at　the　altars　of　this　saint；　or　of　St。　Vitus　（for　in　the　Breisgau　aid　was　equally　sought　from　both）；　they　would　be　freed　from　all　their　sufferings。　　This　hope　was　not　disappointed；　and　they　remained；　for　the　rest　of　the　year；　exempt　from　any　further　attack；　after　having　thus；　by　dancing　and　raving　for　three　hours；　satisfied　an　irresistible　demand　of　nature。　There　were　at　that　period　two　chapels　in　the　Breisgau　visited　by　the　St。　Vitus's　dancers；　namely；　the　Chapel　of　St。　Vitus　at　Biessen；　near　Breisach；　and　that　of　St。　John；　near　Wasenweiler；　and　it　is　probable　that　in　the　south…west　of　Germany　the　disease　was　still　in　existence　in　the　seventeenth　century。

However；　it　grew　every　year　more　rare；　so　that　at　the　beginning　of　the　seventeenth　century　it　was　observed　only　occasionally　in　its　ancient　form。　　Thus　in　the　spring　of　the　year　1623；　G。　Horst　saw　some　women　who　annually　performed　a　pilgrimage　to　St。　Vitus's　chapel　at　Drefelhausen；　near　Weissenstein；　in　the　territory　of　Ulm；　that　they　might　wait　for　their　dancing　fit　there；　in　the　same　manner　as　those　in　the　Breisgau　did；　according　to　Schenck's　account。　　They　were　not　satisfied；　however；　with　a　dance　of　three　hours'　duration；　but　continued　day　and　night　in　a　state　of　mental　aberration；　like　persons　in　an　ecstasy；　until　they　fell　exhausted　to　the　ground；　and　when　they　came　to　themselves　again　they　felt　relieved　from　a　distressing　uneasiness　and　painful　sensation　of　weight　in　their　bodies；　of　which　they　had　complained　for　several　weeks　prior　to　St。　Vitus's　Day。

After　this　commotion　they　remained　well　for　the　whole　year；　and　such　was　their　faith　in　the　protecting　power　of　the　saint；　that　one　of　them　had　visited　this　shrine　at　Drefelhausen　more　than　twenty　times；　and　another　had　already　kept　the　saint's　day　for　the　thirty…second　time　at　this　sacred　station。

The　dancing　fit　itself　was　excited　here；　as　it　probably　was　in　other　places；　by　music；　from　the　effects　of　which　the　patients　were　thrown　into　a　state　of　convulsion。　　Many　concurrent　testimonies　serve　to　show　that　music　generally　contributed　much　to　the　continuance　of　the　St。　Vitus's　dance；　originated　and　increased　its　paroxysms；　and　was　sometimes　the　cause　of　their　mitigation。　So　early　as　the　fourteenth　century　the　swarms　of　St。　John's　dancers　were　accompanied　by　minstrels　playing　upon　noisy　instruments；　who　roused　their　morbid　feelings；　and　it　may　readily　be　supposed　that　by　the　performance　of　lively　melodies；　and　the　stimulating　effects　which　the　shrill　tones　of　fifes　and　trumpets　would　produce；　a　paroxysm　that　was　perhaps　but　slight　in　itself；　might；　in　many　cases；　be　increased　to　the　most　outrageous　fury；　such　as　in　later　times　was　purposely　induced　in　order　that　the　force　of　the　disease　might　be　exhausted　by　the　violence　of　its　attack。　　Moreover；　by　means　of　intoxicating　music　a　kind　of　demoniacal　festival　for　the　rude　multitude　was　established；　which　had　the　effect　of　spreading　this　unhappy　malady　wider　and　wider。　Soft　harmony　was；　however；　employed　to　calm　the　excitement　of　those　affected；　and　it　is　mentioned　as　a　character　of　the　tunes　played　with　this　view　to　the　St。　Vitus's　dancers；　that　they　contained　transitions　from　a　quick　to　a　slow　measure；　and　passed　gradually　from　a　high　to　a　low　key。　　It　is　to　be　regretted　that　no　trace　of　this　music　has　reached　out　times；　which　is　owing　partly　to　the　disastrous　events　of　the　seventeenth　century；　and　partly　to　the　circumstance　that　the　disorder　was　looked　upon　as　entirely　national；　and　only　incidentally　considered　worthy　of　notice　by　foreign　men　of　learning。　　If　the　St。　Vitus's　dance　was　already　on　the　decline　at　the　commencement　of　the　seventeenth　century；　the　subsequent　events　were　altogether　adverse　to　its　continuance。　Wars　carried　on　with　animosity；　and　with　various　success；　for　thirty　years；　shook　the　west　of　Europe；　and　although　the　unspeakable　calamities　which　they　brought　upon　Germany；　both　during　their　continuance　and　in　their　immediate　consequences；　were　by　no　means　favourable　to　the　advance　of　knowledge；　yet；　with　the　vehemence　of　a　purifying　fire；　they　gradually　effected　the　intellectual　regeneration　of　the　Germans；　superstition；　in　her　ancient　form；　never　again　appeared；　and　the　belief　in　the　dominion　of　spirits；　which　prevailed　in　the　middle　ages；　lost　for　ever　its