This rising is said to have been started by a peasant who saw a vision. The movement became known as the laudesi from their constant hymn singing. At its peak, a group of over 15,000 adherents gathered in Modena and marched to Rome, but the movement rapidly faded when one of its leaders was burned at the stake by order of Boniface IX. In Germany
The German and Low Countries movement, the Brothers of the Cross, is particularly well documented - they wore white robes and marched across Germany in 33.5 day campaigns (each day referred to a year of Jesuss earthly life) of penance, only stopping in any one place for no more than a day. They established their camps in fields near towns and held their rituals twice a day. The ritual began with the reading of a letter, claimed to have been delivered by an angel and justifying the Flagellants activities. Next, the followers would fall to their knees and scourge themselves, gesturing with their free hands to indicate their sin and striking themselves rhythmically to songs, known as Geisslerlieder, until blood flowed. Sometimes the blood was soaked up in rags and treated as a holy relic. Originally members were required to receive permission to join from their spouses and to prove that they could pay for their food. However, some towns began to notice that sometimes Flagellants brought plague to towns where it had not yet surfaced. Therefore, later they were denied entry. They responded with increased physical penance.
In patients with a single site of involvement, survivability tends to be very favorable. However, those with multi-organ involvement have a mortality rate of 50-66%. One systematic review calculated the disease-specific survival as 27.2 months, or 58% at one year. One group found the death rate to be 50% in patients with LCS, compared to 31% in patients who had the related condition LCH. Survivability decreases dramatically with increased disease burden and spread. LCS may be associated with other malignancies as well, such as follicular lymphoma, adenocarcinoma, and germ cell tumors. Evidence of metastatic disease or relapse from a previously treated LCS usually signifies a worsened prognosis. Treatment of these metastatic lesions or relapsed tumors may improve the patients prognosis, but there is limited evidence as to a preferred therapy. See also
Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Sarcoma

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