Throughout history, humanity has often had to deal with deadly epidemics. Some ailments have not yet been identified by scientists. One of the most mysterious diseases is a terrible infection that originated in the British Isles at the end of the 15th century, from which 95-100% of cases died. She was accompanied by profuse sweating, which is why it was called "English sweat" (Latin sudor anglicus) or "English sweating fever."
Outbreaks
According to Alexander Lavrin, the author of the book "The Chronicles of Charon: An Encyclopedia of Death", the author of the book "The Chronicles of Charon: Encyclopedia of Death", the disease first appeared in England in 1486, referring to the Polish researcher Elzbieta Prominska. Then the epidemic lasted five weeks, mowing down a huge number of people. During the XV-XVI centuries the disease was repeated five times. In 1507 she visited London, and in 1518 all of England and the port of Calais in France suffered.
In 1529, an outbreak of "sweating disease" caused the most severe consequences. Starting in London, the epidemic captured England, and then spread to the continental countries - Germany, Sweden and Poland. From the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, she came to Russian Novgorod.
The last epidemic occurred in 1551 - it turned out to be weaker than the others and did not leave England.
The total number of victims of "English sweat" is unknown. Unproven is the identity of this disease with the "English plague" in Ireland in 1492 and the "Picardy sweat", which occurred in France until the 19th century.
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Symptoms
Rapid development of symptoms was a characteristic feature of sudor anglicus. The lethal outcome occurred within several days, sometimes in 2-3 hours.
The disease began immediately with a high fever, pain in the head and joints, and increased heart rate. Convulsions were sometimes observed. It became unpleasant for others to be near the patient because of the stench. At first, a bad smell came from the mouth, and then the whole body of a person was covered with a foul-smelling sweat. The patients fell asleep, and often, falling asleep, they died. Most deaths occurred in the first 24 hours - if the infected person remained alive on the second day, then, as a rule, he recovered. Timely treatment also played a role, which consisted of keeping the patient warm and taking "heart drugs".
It is noteworthy that the "sweating fever" did not affect children and old people. Only middle-aged people got sick. No immunity to infection was developed. Few survivors could get sick again.
Opinions of contemporaries
The philosopher Francis Bacon, referring to the "sweating ailment" in the life of Henry VII, notes that the disease appeared with the accession of the first king from the Tudor dynasty. On this occasion, the people said that the new head of the country would "rule in agony." It is possible that one of the victims of the epidemic was the heir of Henry VII, Prince of Wales Arthur.
“It was a plague, but, apparently, not carried through the body by blood or juices, because the disease was not accompanied by carbuncles, purple or bluish spots and similar manifestations of infection of the whole body,” - wrote Bacon. In his opinion, after the defeat of the heart and "vital centers", the body itself began to remove "pernicious fumes" along with sweat.
Contemporaries did not believe that the disease could be caught from a sick person. In their opinion, the cause of the "English sweat" was some "harmful impurities" in the environment.
Versions of origin
Modern scientists unequivocally classify sudor anglicus as a contagious disease. Its causative agent has not been reliably identified to this day. According to one of the assumptions, it was a type of relapsing fever - it is carried by ticks and lice. According to another version, "English sweat" was caused by anthrax.
Researchers Paul Hayman, Leopold Simons and Christelle Cochez believe the epidemics were caused by an unknown species of hantavirus. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which has occurred in the American continent since the 1990s, has killed half of the cases, mostly in the first 48 hours.
Timur Sagdiev