The Disease of Fear

In the late Middle Ages a mysterious illness swept through parts of Europe killing thousands. Then, as enigmatically as it had arrived, it disappeared. Physicians, working with their primitive insights, simply called it “The Sweating Sickness” (though today’s scientists think it was a hantavirus).

The disease manifested itself with sudden, violent, chills followed by headaches, exhaustion, and delirium. Finally, the victim exploded in a wringing sweat – thus the name – and collapsed into a deep sleep. A few recovered, but most never woke again. This was the medieval equivalent of a terrifying zombie apocalypse. And adding to the terror was more terror, as almost every person who contracted this disease complained that their first symptom was inexplicable fear.

Medical experts today call such a symptom, “the overwhelming sense of impending doom.” No longer associated with “The Sweating Sickness,” it is a real condition experienced by those having heart attacks…