Essay about Were The Salem Witch Trials Spurred By Food...

In all of human history, people have written about inhuman beings, many of which include gods, demons, wizards, sorcerers, sorceresses, and witches. Nowadays mystical beings are seen everywhere in media. Most of society stopped believing in these creatures years ago, but for 17th-century Salem, witchcraft became a living nightmare (Fremon, 1999). I have studied this topic for years, especially anything pertaining to the Salem Witch Trials. I have read several books and have sources from universities and medical writers. I have studied the Salem Witch Trials out of interest for some time, and once I discovered the suspicion that ergot poisoning might have been a factor, I did a great deal of research in that area. This topic can be†¦show more content†¦It was known as â€Å"St. Anthony’s Fire† because of the burning sensation in the limbs and blackening of the skin. Monks, who ate white wheat bread and not rye bread, were treating the victims and shared their wheat bread with them, which helped the victims to heal because they were not eating infected bread (Bonnet Basson, 2004, p. 213). Ergot has been used for medical purposes since the late 1500s but was not acknowledged academically until the 1800s. Midwives used it to prevent excess bleeding during childbirth. It was not used for long because it caused uterine spasms and dangers to the child. In the early 1900s, W. A. Jacobs and L.C. Craig of the Rockefeller Institute of New York developed lysergic acid by studying ergot. Swiss chemist, Albert Hoffman, experimented with the mold, ergot, and the alkaloids that made up lysergic acid, and was studying diethylamide but the new substance had no medical uses. From this, h e subsequently created the drug LSD. (May, 1998) Ergot can affect any part of the body in both people and animals and can cause problems in any body system, known or unknown. The symptoms can range from mental to physical distresses, such as extreme confusion and hallucinations to convulsions and crippling loss of movement (Bonnet Basson, 2004). While LSD is not addictive, it can do damage similar to, but not as extensive as, the plant of its origin, ergot. In the year 1630, the Puritan refugees came from England to theShow MoreRelatedSalem Witches and Ergot of Rye Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesSalem Witches and Ergot of Rye While researching texts written about the Salem Witch Trials, I found a few authors who published articles and books about the Salem Witch Trials. These authors often showed that the most likely cause of the fits coming from the victims was produced by ergot of rye. However, I could not find much discussion about another important source of the fits’ cause: witchcraft. My goal in this paper is to produce a convincing argument that the victims during the Salem WitchRead MoreSalem, Massachusetts Is A Coastal City First Settled By Europeans2965 Words   |  12 PagesSalem, massachusetts is a coastal city first settled by Europeans in 1626. The village was a swift growing farming area with a flourishing trading and urban area.As usual in history, as the population grew, so did the wants of the townspeople. Many wanted separate churches, which prompted the idea that there was somewhat of a divide between citizens. Granted, a separate church was provided which caused a divide bet ween classes in Salem and Salem Village was created. The village was given the freedom