Daily AncestorSt. Vitus' dance
St. Vitus' dance was an old name for chorea, jerky involuntary movements, most often Sydenham's chorea following rheumatic fever in children.
St. Vitus' dance described uncontrollable jerking of the face, limbs and body. Most cases fit Sydenham's chorea, a complication of strep infection in children, but the name was also used for Huntington's chorea in adults.
The name comes from Saint Vitus, to whom people prayed for relief. As a cause of death it may point to heart damage from rheumatic fever or to the adult hereditary disease.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Nellie Root, 11, F, W, Wis., May, St. Vitus dance, 120 days
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Daily Ancestor. "St. Vitus' dance." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/st-vitus-dance. Last checked 2026-10-01.