THE SWEATS

It seems like centuries ago maladies were more exciting as well as more dreadful. Back in Tudor times, England and subsequently the continent were tested by a sweating disease that was deadly in hours. Or not. On average, a resolution in either direction happened over a period of eight to ten hours. Sudor anglicus (the English sweats) was marked by a sudden onset of shivering, perspiration, and ague-like aches, two to three hours, followed by a hot stage with tremors, increased heart rate, dehydration, several other unpleasant symptoms, and profound tiredness. It might prove fatal. While some speculate that it was something like hanta virus, there is also the distinct possibility that it was a relative of something malarial, seeing as it was more frequent in rural areas and moist environments.

Death rates were often over fifty percent of the population.

After four outbreaks, it disappeared.

Bad beer has also been mentioned. That's not entirely unlikely, as wine-swilling Europe was largely unaffected. In those days you did not want to drink ditch or stream water because of water-borne pestilences, so you started the day with beer or wine, had it with your mid-day meal, and continued with those beverages till you collapsed drunk after dark. Repeating the same pattern the next day. It's a miracle that those people accomplished anything at all considering how addled they must have been.

At this point I could mention that many people in the Southern United States adhere to the same pattern. With sixpacks of horrid watery beer. Which is probably safer that the tapwater down there. Alternated with oversweetened ice tea (well, at least the water is boiled to make that). Being constantly scrambled from what they drink may account for their voting patterns.
It would certainly account for Mike Johnson, Tommy Turberville, Louis Gomert, Marjorie Taylor Green, and the governor of Florida.

Personally, I find oversweetened ice tea undrinkable. I don't live in The South, and heck will freeze over before I root for Alabama or Ole Miss. There are better things to do on the weekend, and I don't watch American Football if I can help it.

Vegging in front of the teevee is a fasttrack to diabetes, alcoholism, obesity, and probably several unclean diseases besides becoming a frat boy or a member of a Christian cult.


It's miraculous that they accomplish anything at all considering their addlement.



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