Ergot

Causes of the Salem Witch Trials There were many cases of people being accused of witchcraft throughout America during the 1600s and 1700s with many of these accusations leading to the deaths of the accused. But there is one event in particular that stands out more than the rest, the Salem witch trials. This event is the biggest massacre known of people being accused of being a witch in United States history. The Salem witch trials are such a catastrophic event that museums, documentaries and…

available in pill, nasal spray, and injection forms. Ergots are another drug class used to treat migraines. Erotamine and caffeine combination drugs are less effective than triptans. Use ergots if pain lasts for more than 48 hours and you want to take them as soon as migraines symptoms occur. Anti- nausea medications like chlorpromazine, Reglan or Compro can help migraines. Opioid medications are used when a patient can’t take triptans or ergots or no other treatments have provided relief…

of The Crucible, Abigail lifts up her dress to show Proctor tiny sores and scratches that dot her skin. This directly correlates with the symptom in which the victim feels as if they are being bitten or pitched. With the convicting evidence behind ergot poisoning, the likeliness of these victims actually practicing witchcraft dwindles…

Some biographers have claimed that Robert Stevenson had a history of cocaine and ergot use. Ergot is produced by a fungus that grows on rye and its compounds were used to create synthetic LSD. If the rumors of his ergot habits are true, his psychedelic experiences under the influence could have inspired him to write the “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Psychedelic hallucinations can force an individual to witness their own lack of self-control. If Stevenson had lost himself to the…

Eating it can be a mind - and behaviour-altering experience” Ergot is developed through a cold winter followed by a cool and moist growing season. The rye plant is weakened by the cold winter and the growth of fungus is encouraged by the spring moisture. It also turns out that these conditions were present in the…

In the late 1600’s, several Puritans in the town of Salem were accused of witchcraft and found guilty before being subsequently murdered for it. However, the true cause of what instigated these attacks is still hazy for many historians. Did the root of the problem stem from the mindsets of the Puritans themselves, or was it something else? Ultimately, several sources today suggest that the trouble in Salem was caused by a myriad of factors other than mental illness. Psychological influences were…

distinct origin of the afflicteds' actions that fit not only the symptoms and effects, but also the climate and geography of seventeenth century Salem. Her answer, published in her article "Ergotism: The Satan Loosed In Salem?" was ergot poisoning, or ergotism. Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye under extremely specific circumstances and can cause a large array of problems within those who consume…

The nature of the Salem Witch Trials was one of hysteria and fear. The Puritans of the Massachusetts New England colony were extraordinarily religious with a strain of Protestantism far more rigid than most, which was reflected in their reaction to supposed witchcraft. The pain of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials extended far beyond the nineteen executed and the five more who died in prison. Over a hundred more languished in jail for months on end, chained to the walls of dark, damp, and tiny jail…

Instead of looking at the history of witchcraft as Kittredge did, Boyer and Nissenbaum focused on the social and economical factors at play within seventeenth-century Salem among the male population. Boyer and Nissenbaum state that the more we have come to know these men for something like what they really were, the more we have also come to realize how profoundly they were shaped by the times in which they lived. For if they were unlike any other men, so was their world unlike any other…

theorists now argue that it was from stress, asthma, boredom, abuse, epilepsy and delusions. However, some other theorists say she was experiencing “convulsive ergotism”. Convulsive Ergotism occurred when one digested rye infected with ergot. Interestingly, LSD derives from ergot which could cause hallucinations. Because of the limited resources at the time, no one can be sure of exactly what this child was experiencing. Unfortunately, a book called “Memorable Providences” was released during…