crocodile deathroll

One may of heard of the Salem Witch Trials, then only case of mass execution 19 in Salem US for the crime of witchcraft in 1692. This still to this day is believed by many to be a true and genuine case of demonic possession. So is it a genuine case of demonic possession? Not so; it does in fact a perfectly natural explanation. These so called demonic possession were in fact caused by a fungal infection of the rye crop, causing many of those who ate food derivatives of rye were infected with the dangerously hallucinogenic and convulsion inducing fungus, ergot. It created nightmarish hallucinations similar to an LSD trip gone wrong. The problem is when things went wrong in Salem in 1692 the people turned to the intensely religious Puritans for help, when in retrospect that should of been the last people they should of turned to. In typical Puritanical ignorance, they said were sure it was a genuine case of bewitchment and surely not an infectious illness from a hallucinogen fungus. So if an illness was unexplained at that time then bewitchment was the default position. Well one could understand this conclusion in the context of a time when medical science was so primitive by our standards, but not today
The same can be said of all the so called bewitchment events in Medieval times when over forty thousand men woman and children were innocently sent to their deaths over witchcraft. The Vatican sent out a decree warning people of bewitchment. This too was caused by an illness that was said to bear all the hallmarks of witchcraft. Again not so the bewitchment affliction occurred in areas where rye was grown in moist areas that were as a consequence extremely prone to ergot infection.

crocodile deathroll

Oolon Colluphid

I’m all for it as an idea (in fact, I used it in my final-year dissertation as an explanation of what might have been in the kukeon drink at the Eleusinian Mysteries, causing the visions the mustai experienced ), but what actual evidence is there that Salem due to ergotamine poisoning? Hallucinatory drink is one thing; there’s a possible connection to lycanthropia; but this sounds more like a social dynamic, mass hysteria sort of thing. After all, though he was making a contemporary political point, Miller needed no such excuse to add plausibility to The Crucible.

Any thoughts?

TTFN, Oolon

Boro Nut

I think I saw that documentary too. And I can understand how the symptoms of the cereal fungus poisoning would have been readily misinterpreted as demonic possession by the religious zealots of the day, as they included a manic countenance and demeanour, babbling and screaming, and the ability to levitate on household cleaning appliances.

Jane Bovary

I saw a documentry on the ergot/witch connection and it claimed the whole Salem trial debaucle began with the urine taken from a supposed witch, herself contaminated with ergot and given to a dog,[those crazy witch-hunters!]who subsequently became poisoned and displayed similar symptoms.
This was supposed to be a turning point and the airtight "evidence" of withcraft that the persecutors were looking for...

The same can be said of all the so called bewitchment events in Medieval times when over forty thousand men woman and children were innocently sent to their deaths over witchcraft. The Vatican sent out a decree warning people of bewitchment. This too was caused by an illness that was said to bear all the hallmarks of witchcraft. Again not so the bewitchment affliction occurred in areas where rye was grown in moist areas that were as a consequence extremely prone to ergot infection.

But this theory seems to give previous witchhunters an undeserved "excuse" for persecution. Such a vast number were killed over such a large period of time...they couldn't all have been the results of a misleading illness

Thus ergot poisoning, illness, madness...none of these really explain the mass witch paranoia that spread across the world for two centuries. It's my impression that you didn't have to do much to be labelled a witch...an accusation was enough. And hadn't there always been unexplained illness, fitting and madness? Why did the witch-craze occur with such intensity in a particular period?

I think there must be alot more to it...

jess

It's not a 'fact'.

That show ruined PBS' credibility for me...

It was sloppy and the theroy was not based on enough material.

It's a decent theory--- but it is far from a 'fact'...

Muad'Dib

Since this thread apparently has more to do with the physiology of mushroom poisoning than Biblical criticism or archaeology, I'm moving it to Science & Skepticism; if the moderators there think it would be more appropriate somewhere else they are of course free to send it there.