Ergotism

Caporael searched for a 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…

At the tail end of the witch craze in Europe, comes the Salem Witch Trials. The European witch craze lasted from the fourteenth century to mid-seventeenth century. During this time period, between “200,000 and 500,000 witches” were executed most of these people were women . The vast majority of these trials took place in a sixty-year time period between 1570 and 1630. During this time period “four out of five victims were women”. Most of these women were homeless, widowed, never…

Different speculations about the causes of the Salem Witch Trials have been revealed throughout the years. Many studies have been done to analyze the origins of the trials, and there are many articles and journals about the Salem Witch Trials. These resources explain some of the different beliefs about the causes; however, not every theory can be correct. Some researchers have stated their belief that the witchcraft performed was real. Others posit that the trials began because of confrontations…

diagnosis of ergotism or other food poisoning was seriously considered and then ruled out.” Meaning that it was quite unlikely for these afflicted women to simply act as though they had these symptoms. These symptoms also turned up in areas surrounding Salem Village, it wouldn’t be possible for the people in the other villages and towns to be feigning the same symptoms. Personally, I tend to agree with the correlation that Caporael has made between the symptoms of convulsive ergotism and the…

Isenheim Altarpiece resided in was a place that treated patients that were ill with the St. Anthony’s fire, or ergotism, and other skin diseases (Stokstad 683). In the closing portion, it shows Christ perished on the cross, a part of his horrific image seems to be ergotism (Stokstad “Chapter 22”). The spots that cover his body are like the ones that cover someone suffering with ergotism, this is showing the patients that Christ knows your…

and act irregularly, complain about fever and cringe from fierce pains. Some 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…

Boredom Within The Puritan Lifestyle In 1692, rumors of witchcraft began to scatter throughout the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Among the many accusers of witchcraft, the most common offenders were teenage girls (“Salem Witch Trials”). The Witch trials are believed to have happened for three possible different reasons: the effects of ergot poisoning, a boring puritan lifestyle, and to gain land or economic prosperity. Although many theories exist, the Salem Witch Trials most likely occurred…

No one knows exactly as to why Betty fell ill suddenly, but researchers believe that it could have been a disease such as “convulsive ergotism”. “Convulsive ergotism” is brought on by the consumption of rye that has been infected with ergot, (Ergot is caused by a fungus which invades developing kernels of rye grain) the modern drug of LSD derives from ergot (Linder, paragraph 5). This day would change…

"Nortan, with dazzling insight and astonishing meticulous and detective work, takes us well past the surface explorations of Salem Village quarrels into the deeply complex story of what happened and why. This is a brilliant book, wonderfully conceived and executed, and it gives reality to the expression 'a landmark achievement." -Bernard Rosenthal, author of Salem Story. This book was very informative and very detailed. You can tell just by reading this book that the author did a lot of…

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…