Hundreds of years ago, in 1418, Strasbourg was visited by the Dancing Plague. The affected ones had movements that resembled those of dancers. Some historical texts record that “these were seen day and night passing through the streets, accompanied by musicians playing on bagpipes, and by innumerable spectators attracted by curiosity, to which were added anxious parents and relatives, who came to look after those among the misguided multitude who belonged to their respective families.” [1]

The religious context of the time led these relatives to implore for a miracle in the chapels of St. Vitus that were found in the region. Eventually, St. Vitus was invoked as a patron saint in Christian popular belief to cure the disease because, according to the legend, he had healed a child from the disease during his lifetime. And what was once known as the Dancing Mania, became the St. Vitus Dance.

Later, at the beginning of the 16th century, the Swiss physician Paracelsus, introduced the term Saint Vitus Chorea. [2] This word, that you have probably heard before, comes from the Greek word choreia, which guess what? Also means dance. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the 19th century that the word chorea was used by the scientific community to describe neurological diseases. 

The name Huntington appeared on the scene because the physician George Huntington was the first to describe and propose the hereditary nature of the disease in a publication, where he referred to the disease as Hereditary Chorea. Less than a decade after this publication, due to the impact the publication had on the medical community, Hereditary Chorea was renamed as Huntington’s Chorea. [3]