Ergot Poisoning Dbq

No one really knows how the Salem Witch Trials really started. There are many conspiracy theories out there but none can be proved as fact. But Linda Caporael seems to think the trials began because of ergot poisoning and explains her reasoning in “Witchcraft or Psychedelic Trip?”. Caporael describes ergot and why she believes it to be the main cause of the hysteria. She goes on to state that ergot is a fungus that grows best in wet conditions and on the main crops that were in Salem during the time period (Caporael).

Part of those reasons being, “the actions of the girls in the courtroom during examinations and trials when the girls fell into their fits based on the movements of the accused which caused them to cry out names” (Howlett.) As well as others turning to the work of Arthur Miller The Crucible for direction of what happened during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. They think as John Proctor states in the play “They‘re pretending!”(Mr.) Even though many theories say differently Ergot is one of the only reasonable explanations for the way that the accused had been acting. There was no other medical reason during that time and even when they were inspected by doctors they found nothing.

The other theory that they had for the “witches” is that they were suffering from epilepsy. In January 1962 when the group of young girls who were known as the “afflicted girls” after they had played the fortune game, after that they were acting very strangely. They were starting to feel some type of symptoms, a lot of the girls would start to feel very sick, and they would get fevers and the strange part is that they would hide under furniture. In the town of Salem, they didn’t believe in anything else all that they would believe is that were controlled by the devil and, they had become witches. There was nothing that was going to convince the people in the town to believe that they weren't witches after they saw that the girls started to get symptoms about getting sick and acting very strange, they were certain that they were taken by the devil and became witches.

During the witch trials, many people were reported having hallucinatory fits, seizures, muscle spasms, and delusions. These reactions, are symptoms of ergotism (ergot poisoning), which many people thought to be the signs of

Nearly anyone from the New England has heard of the famous Salem Witch Trials. A year of persecution, leading to the accusation of nearly 200 citizens of all ages. No one was safe; men, women, children, even pets stood trial and 20 were hung for the supposed crime of witchcraft (Blumberg). 1692 was a year of witch hunting. Most today blame the trials on hysteria, or perhaps a bad case of paranoia.

Witchcraft. The Epidemic In the summer 1692 the town of Salem, Massachusetts spiraled into a witchcraft epidemic, 19 people were hanged and 1 person was pressed to death. People started to get marks and rashes on their body and when a doctor couldn 't even explain it they started accusing people of witchcraft. Bridget Bishop was the first victim of hanging during the epidemic. Then after that it went downhill.

The 1692 events in Salem were not caused by a single person. Rather, the horrific miscarriage of injustice that was unfair persecutions under the guise of witchcraft could be blamed on natural phenomena. When young girls of the Massachusetts town developed strange symptoms, such as vivid hallucinations and strange bodily sensations, the local town doctor could not explain why they had suddenly taken ill. Confused, he diagnosed them with the one thing that made sense to the suspicious religious town: Witchcraft. Now, modern science concludes that a simple fungus was responsible for the girl’s symptoms.

Mental Illness in Salem Witch Trials Introduction Witchcraft is the practice of magic and the use of spells and the invocation of spirits. According to Salem Witch Trials, 2015, the Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts claimed to have been bewitched by several adults in the town. More than 150 people were accused and hung, including men, women, and children (Salem Witch Trials, 2015). There were three girls in particular that sparked the trials: Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and Ann Putnam. Also stated in Salem Witch Trials, their behaviors changed drastically; they began to hallucinate, shout in church, have fits, not eat, not wake up, attempt to fly, and feel as if they

The Salem Witch Trials; Madness or Logic In Stacey Schiff’s, List of 5 Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Trials and Shah Faiza’s, THE WITCHES OF SALEM; Diabolical doings in a Puritan village, discuss in their articles what has been debated by so many historians for years, the causes of the Salem Witch trials. Schiff and the Faiza, purpose is to argue the possible religious, scientific, communal, and sociological reasons on why the trials occurred. All while making word by word in the writer’s testimony as if they were there through emotion and just stating simply the facts and theories. They adopt the hectic tone in order to convey to the readers the significance, tragedy, logic, loss, and possible madness behind these life changing events,

Therefore, I am going to examine the reasons why the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 might have occurred, the people who were historically known to be involved, and the aftermath of the trials. When the girls began having unexplained fits, the doctor was unable to diagnose them. However, times have changed since the 1690’s, and there is a newer theory that Ergotism or other diseases could potentially explain the strange episodes. According to Mundra and the other authors of the journal article, “The Salem Witch Trials—Bewitchment or Ergotism”, there is a specific type of food poisoning called Ergotism, which “is caused by the ingestion of alkaloids produced by the Claviceps purpurea fungus present in rye and other grains”. Ergot poisoning is said to be prevalent after a cold winter season, which matches the type of weather that Salem had experienced before the trials began.

Salem villagers had many struggles in their lifetime dealing with witchcraft and keep their family united and it was really hard to trust anyone because no one knew what the world was filled with. Women and children were greatly more accused of witchcraft then the men because satan would select the weakest individuals. If the women or children were founded guilty of witchcraft the would be summoned to death. Many punishes besides death is that they would be excommunicated from the church because they didn’t want a devil worshiper in the house of the lord. Historians don’t really know why jews were accused and suffered many deaths and still don’t know.

The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 may have been instigated by religious, social, geographic and even biological factors. During these trials, 134 people were condemned as witches and 19 were hanged. These statistics also include 5 more deaths that occurred prior to their execution date. It is interesting to look into the causes of this stain on American History, when as shown in document B, eight citizens were hanged in only one day.

It is stated in the Bible, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’’ (Exodus 22:18 King James). This is presumably the reason that the town of Salem first thought of the idea of witchcraft when the girls were ill. Salem was a very religious town, following the Bible in every way they could, so when there was talk of witchcraft, they followed what they were taught and what they believed in which was not allowing a witch to live.

The Salem witch trial was a time about accusing your fellow neighbor or being accused yourself, this all began in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. During this time many people were being accused of being a witch, a majority of the time it was because either someone truly believed that you were a witch and were reeking havoc or they were trying to find someone to take the blame if they were to being accused. So this leads us to question, what began the Salem Witch Trials? There were at least three causes of the Salem witch trials hysteria. These were Betty Parris and Abigail Williams story, Ergotism, and the acknowledgment of hysteria.

The Salem Witch Trials The belief of witchcraft can be traced back centuries to as early as the 1300’s. The Salem Witch Trials occurred during 1690’s in which many members of Puritan communities were accused and convicted of witchcraft. These “witch trials” were most famously noted in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Many believe this town to be the starting point for the mass hysteria which spread to many other areas of New England.