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— CH. 1 · THE FIRST BLOOD AND THE SILENT ARMY —

Sweating sickness

~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 5
5 sections

  • Henry VII arrived in London on the 28th of August 1485. The disease broke out there on the 19th of September that same year. It had killed several thousand people by its conclusion in late October. Among those killed were two lord mayors, six aldermen, and three sheriffs. This outbreak marked the beginning of a mysterious contagion known as sweating sickness. It struck England and later continental Europe in a series of epidemics. Other major outbreaks occurred in 1508, 1517, and 1528. The last recorded outbreak happened in 1551 after which the disease apparently vanished. The onset of symptoms was sudden and death or recovery often occurred within eight to ten hours. Sweating sickness epidemics were unique compared with other disease outbreaks of the time. Whereas other epidemics were typically urban and long-lasting, cases of sweating sickness spiked and receded very quickly. They significantly affected rural populations.

  • John Caius was a physician in Shrewsbury in 1551 when an outbreak occurred. He described the symptoms and signs of the disease in A Boke or Counseill Against the Disease Commonly Called the Sweate. It began very suddenly with a sense of apprehension followed by cold shivers sometimes very violent. Dizziness headache and severe pains in the neck shoulders and limbs accompanied great exhaustion. The cold stage lasted from half an hour to three hours after which the hot and sweating stage began. The characteristic sweat broke out suddenly without any obvious cause. A sense of heat headache delirium rapid pulse and intense thirst accompanied the sweat. Palpitations and pain in the heart were frequent symptoms. No skin eruptions were noted by observers. In the final stages there was either general exhaustion and collapse or an irresistible urge to sleep. Caius thought this urge was fatal if the patient were permitted to give way to it. One attack of the disease did not result in immunity to subsequent occurrences. Some people suffered several bouts before dying. The disease typically lasted through one full day before recovery or death took place. Thomas Forestier put great emphasis on the sudden breathlessness commonly associated with the final hours of sufferers.

  • Thomas Forestier claimed in an account written for other physicians that loathsome vapours had congregated around the heart and lungs. His observations point towards a pulmonary component of the disease. Commentators then and now have blamed the sewage poor sanitation and contaminated water supplies. Researchers have noted that symptoms overlap with Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. They proposed an unknown hantavirus as the cause. Hantavirus species are zoonotic diseases carried by bats rodents and several insectivores. Sharing of similar trends including seasonal fluctuations multiple times a year and occasional occurrences between major outbreaks suggest the English sweating sickness may have been rodent-borne. The epidemiology of hantavirus correlates with the trends of the English sweating sickness except that Hantavirus infections generally do not strike infants children or the elderly. A criticism of this hypothesis is that modern-day hantaviruses unlike the sweating sickness do not randomly disappear. In 2004 microbiologist Edward McSweegan suggested the disease may have been an outbreak of anthrax poisoning. He hypothesised that victims could have been infected with anthrax spores present in raw wool or infected animal carcasses.

  • Based upon recorded accounts the mortality rate among victims was highest in males aged thirty to forty years. The fact that it infected all levels of society from rich to poor earned the sweating sickness various nicknames such as Stoop Gallant or Stoop Knave. These names referenced how the proud castes were forced to stoop and face their own humanity. Fifteenth century records show half the population perished in some areas. Richard III scholar John Ashdown-Hill conjectures that Richard III fell victim the night before the Battle of Bosworth Field. Arthur Prince of Wales died on the 2nd of April 1502 in his home at Ludlow Castle six months short of his sixteenth birthday. Henry Brandon 2nd Duke of Suffolk died of the sweating sickness aged fifteen just an hour before his brother Charles also succumbed. Charles Brandon 3rd Duke of Suffolk died of the sweating sickness at age thirteen having held the dukedom for just an hour after his elder brother died. In 1529 Thomas Cromwell lost his wife and two daughters to the disease. Cardinal Wolsey contracted the illness and survived.

  • English chronicler Richard Grafton mentioned the common treatment of the disease was to go immediately to bed at the first sign of symptoms. There the affected person was to remain still for the entire twenty-four-hour period of the illness. They abstained from any solid food and limited water intake. The Annals of Halifax Parish of 1551 recorded forty-four deaths in an outbreak there. An outbreak called sweating sickness occurred in Tiverton Devon in 1644 killing four hundred forty-three people one hundred five of them buried in October. However no medical particulars were recorded and the date falls well after the generally accepted disappearance of the sweating sickness in 1551. Despite greatly affecting the rural and working classes of the time the sweating sickness did not discriminate as it was no less likely to affect young seemingly fit men including those of the elite or privileged classes. Numerous attempts have been made to define the disease origin by molecular biology methods but have so far failed due to a lack of available DNA or RNA.

Common questions

When did the sweating sickness first appear in London?

The disease broke out in London on the 19th of September 1485. It had killed several thousand people by its conclusion in late October that same year.

What were the symptoms and duration of the sweating sickness outbreaks?

Symptoms began with apprehension and cold shivers followed by a sudden hot and sweating stage lasting from half an hour to three hours. The disease typically lasted through one full day before recovery or death took place.

Who died from the sweating sickness during the Tudor period?

Victims included two lord mayors, six aldermen, three sheriffs, Arthur Prince of Wales who died on the 2nd of April 1502, and Henry Brandon 2nd Duke of Suffolk who died aged fifteen. Charles Brandon 3rd Duke of Suffolk also died of the disease at age thirteen after holding the dukedom for just an hour.

What theories exist regarding the cause of the English sweating sickness?

Researchers have noted that symptoms overlap with Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and proposed an unknown hantavirus as the cause. In 2004 microbiologist Edward McSweegan suggested the disease may have been an outbreak of anthrax poisoning from raw wool or infected animal carcasses.

How did the mortality rate vary among different groups affected by the sweating sickness?

The mortality rate among victims was highest in males aged thirty to forty years according to recorded accounts. Fifteenth century records show half the population perished in some areas while the disease did not discriminate against young seemingly fit men including those of the elite or privileged classes.

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All sources

38 references cited across the entry

  1. 1journalProtestantism, theJohnson Family and the 1551 Sweat in LondonDanae Tankard — November 2004
  2. 2journalWere the English Sweating Sickness and the Picardy Sweat Caused by Hantaviruses?Heyman P. et al. — 2014
  3. 3journalWere the English Sweating Sickness and the Picardy Sweat Caused by Hantaviruses?Paul Heyman et al. — January 2014
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  6. 6journal'Safer on the battlefield than in the city': England, the 'sweating sickness', and the continentJohn L. Flood — 2003
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  8. 8journalThe English sweating sickness, 1485–1551: A viral pulmonary disease?M Taviner et al. — 1998
  9. 9journalWere the English Sweating Sickness and the Picardy Sweat Caused by Hantaviruses?Paul Heyman et al. — 2014-01-07
  10. 10journalThe English 'sweate' (Sudor Anglicus) and Hantavirus pulmonary syndromeEric Bridson — 2001
  11. 11journalHantavirus pulmonary syndrome outbreak in Argentina: molecular evidence for person-to-person transmission of Andes virusP Padula et al. — Elsevier — 15 February 1998
  12. 12journalRiddle solved?McSweegan, Edward — 17 January 2004
  13. 13journalThe English Sweating Sickness: Out of Sight, Out of Mind?Paul Heyman, Christel Cochez, Mirsada Hukić — 2018
  14. 14bookThe Mythology of Richard IIIJohn Ashdown-Hill — 2015
  15. 15journalSweating Sickness and Picardy SweatL Roberts — 1945
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  28. 28journalThe English Sweat in Lübeck and North Germany, 1529John Christiansen — 2009
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  32. 32citationThe Diary of Henry Machyn 1550–1563Henry Machin — 1848
  33. 33journalAnnals of the Parish of HalifaxD Taylor — 28 March 1972
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  36. 36bookContributions to Medical & Biological ResearchMichael G. Foster — Paul B. Hoeber — 1919
  37. 37journalSweating Sickness and Picardy SweatH. Tidy — 945
  38. 38journalSweating Sickness and Picardy SweatH. Tidy — 1945-07-14