The Dancing Plague

By John Waller
Sourcebooks, Inc., $14.99, 278 Pages

What caused The Dancing Plague? Was it even an illness at all? In this well-researched piece, Waller weaves an intricate tapestry of Strasbourg, Germany prior to, during, and after the strange “plague” took place: over several months’ time, hundreds of citizens involuntarily started to “dance” until they either exhausted themselves completely or dropped dead. After admitting that modern science has yet to exactly figure out why, the author attempts to explore the how, apprising the reader thoroughly of the religious mindset of the working class, the behavior of the clergy, the attitudes of the noblesse, regional economics, festivals, saints, and even the state of the city sewage system.

The author had access to several firsthand accounts of the strange happenings in 1518, and the prose reflects a factual confidence. Interwoven in the story, Waller favored a compare-and-contrast tone; medieval medical knowledge and opinion of the doctors of the day is first put forth, then promptly debunked using modern medical facts, leaving the theories about the phenomena in place for further scrutiny. Knowing the definition of the word “plague” helps a great deal in discerning where the book will end up: a widespread affliction or calamity, especially one seen as divine retribution. Waller’s hypothesis is simple: the citizens of Strasbourg suffered from acute despair, a far too meager diet, and minds too easily prone to suggestion. This is an intriguing book full of facts, suppositions, and myths, related with a storyteller’s pen.

Reviewed by Meredith Greene