Sweating Sickness: Getting Sweaty This Way was Never a Good Thing

When was it around?

Doctors first noticed Sweating Sickness at the start of Henry VII’s reign in 1485. It killed several thousand people that year. In 1492, another outbreak of the disease spread to Ireland where it was noted that anyone who survived it beyond 24 hours usually recovered, and it didn’t attack infants or young children.

There was no record of the disease from 1492 to 1502, when another outbreak claimed Henry VIII’s older brother Prince Arthur. A second outbreak in 1507 was followed by a more widespread epidemic in 1517 where it is believed as much as half the population in towns such as Oxford and Cambridge perished.

Another severe epidemic broke out in 1528, beginning in London and spreading throughout England. A number of people in Henry VIII’s court fell sick with it, and he became extremely paranoid about catching it, so he fled London, moving around the country staying at different residences.  Eventually, the disease swept across Eastern Europe leaving thousands dead.

The last major outbreak of the disease was in 1551 and it was never seen in England again after 1578, although a similar disease broke out in France between 1718 and 1861 albeit less fatal.

Where it went is anyone’s guess whether it was in fact hanta virus or something similar, or if it disappeared as hygiene and sanitation improved. One thing is for sure,  coming down with an illness and sweating to death within a few days sounds like something from a zombie flick.

We can all hope it never returns!