 The ritual was normally performed between Michaelmas and Easter , when cold weather made it less likely to contract a disease from the infected subject . It was believed that the treatment was more likely to be successful if performed on a holy day . English monarchs generally touched less frequently than their French counterparts . Edward I touched up to 1 @,@ 736 people annually , but did not touch during his frequent military campaigns abroad . His immediate successors followed a similar pattern . 
