Anno 1529 – der „Englische Schweiß“ in Wien, die Türken um Wien

After the battle of Bosworth in 1485 London was frightened by a severe epidemic of Sweating Disease. Until 1551 four more followed of which only the 1525 epidemic invaded Central and Northern Europe harassing Vienna during its “First Turkish Siege”. People abruptly fell ill with headache, tachycardia, fever and secretion of stinking sweat. They were afflicted with anxiety, deliria and somnolence. The illness mostly lasted for 24 h, but death although could occur earlier. At the beginning of epidemics the lethality was particularly high. The treatment with distinct medicaments had to be started instantly. The patients must be kept warm and sleepless (“Dutch Regiment”). The thus caused high lethality was lowered by omitting the hyperthermia (“English Regiment”). I suppose that the Sweating Disease was an “Emerging Disease” of the 15th/16th century, as nowadays AIDS, Ebola, SARS, MERS and influenza variants are.