Weird sickness

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I know this is probably a long shot but I was wondering if there was anyone on hear that is familiar with a strange illness called sweating sickness. It existed many years ago only England;came and went without ever being diagnosed or knowing what was the cause, or cure or even knowing what it was. I am just curious. I heard about it this morning on CBC Radio from a woman by the name of Helen Humphreys, an author who wrote about life on the Thames River in England, a very interesting book, she spoke about it and quoted that "it took them as it found them". In other words whatever a person was doing, say hanging out the wash, suddenly the person would be overcome with a sweat and a fever and immediately die. Any one ever heard of this?