Hysteria and LSD Trips in the Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials were a dark time in American History. It took place in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, where many girls claimed to be aiding the devil and practicing witchcraft. Along their way, they accused many other women in their town of also being witches. A wave of hysteria spread and many women, men, and children were tried in court for practicing witchcraft. Bridget Bishop was the first girl to be convicted as a witch, and hanged for her crime. Later, as the hysteria passed, the town turned against the witch trials. The Court stopped giving guilty verdicts. Though they gave compensations to the accused witch’s families, resentment was still found in their hearts. As …show more content…
They believe that this fungus, while making them physically contort their bodies, also could have made them fearful, or hysterical. Many historians today do not believe that the people were just afraid because of mass hysteria. They believe that something was causing them to have strange fits. They theorize that it was a fungus that grows on rye bread, which was common in the Salem community. “The poison can be passed from mother to infant through breast milk, making it possible for very young children to suffer from this condition.” (ancientstandard.com) Ergot can be found abundantly on one crop, and then simply disappear into the next year. Why were other towns not experiencing the same things? Well, because it can be found in great quantities in one place, but only a few miles down the road, there will not be a trace of its condition. “Common symptoms of ergot poisoning are the afflicted person twisting and contorting their body in pain, trembling, shaking, muscle spasms or contractions, confusion, delusions, and hallucinations. The afflicted person may also experience a fixedly twisted neck.” (K-Z, Anna). Ergot poisoning could have very possibly been the cause of the girls acting strange, and the hysteria among
The Salem Witch Trials were a dark time in American History. It took place in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, where many girls claimed to be aiding the devil and practicing witchcraft. Along their way, they accused many other women in their town of also being witches. A wave of hysteria spread and many women, men, and children were tried in court for practicing witchcraft. Bridget Bishop was the first girl to be convicted as a witch, and hanged for her crime. Later, as the hysteria passed, the town turned against the witch trials. The Court stopped giving guilty verdicts. Though they gave compensations to the accused witch’s families, resentment was still found in their hearts. As …show more content…
They believe that this fungus, while making them physically contort their bodies, also could have made them fearful, or hysterical. Many historians today do not believe that the people were just afraid because of mass hysteria. They believe that something was causing them to have strange fits. They theorize that it was a fungus that grows on rye bread, which was common in the Salem community. “The poison can be passed from mother to infant through breast milk, making it possible for very young children to suffer from this condition.” (ancientstandard.com) Ergot can be found abundantly on one crop, and then simply disappear into the next year. Why were other towns not experiencing the same things? Well, because it can be found in great quantities in one place, but only a few miles down the road, there will not be a trace of its condition. “Common symptoms of ergot poisoning are the afflicted person twisting and contorting their body in pain, trembling, shaking, muscle spasms or contractions, confusion, delusions, and hallucinations. The afflicted person may also experience a fixedly twisted neck.” (K-Z, Anna). Ergot poisoning could have very possibly been the cause of the girls acting strange, and the hysteria among