Ergotism

Of many of the theories over the cause/s of the Salem witchcraft trials, the theory of convulsive ergotism stuck out to me.

I printed off and read Linnda R. Caporael's 1976 article Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem? She not only provides plausable evidence for the existence of ergot in Salem, but is able to explain the symptoms of the young girls, as well as a possible explanation for the 'spectral evidence' that was used as evidence of witchcraft in court.

She also notes that, at least in her time, no-one had ever sufficiently explored the idea of a physiological condition as a possible factor. She says this is because many historians did, and still do, believe that the girls physical afflictions and spectral evidence were made up. I agree with Caporael that it is extremely difficult to assess the physical and mental states of people who have been dead for centuries, but I also think, like her, the 'evidence' of witchcraft cannot be ignored purely because we no longer believe that Satan or witches played any part. Saying that, it is important to place the hysteria that followed in its own contextual framework. Outbreaks of ergotism had occured in the past (records indicate as early as 857AD in Germany), but none had led to such events such as those at Salem. More on that later.

What is ergot?
Ergot is a parasitic fungus that grows on a large variety of cereal grains-especially rye, which was one of the main grains of the time- which is slightly curved. It replaces individual grains on the host plant. Before it was realised that ergot was poisonous, people believed it to be sun-cooked grains of the plant.

How does it occur?
Ergot prefers warm, damp, rainy springs and summers to occur in large amounts. However, this does not mean that all crops would be affected-one might be, and then the one next to it may be relatively fine. The diary of Samuel Sewall, one of the judges in the trial, notes that there were early rains and warm weather in spring, and it progressed into a hot and stormy summer in the year of 1691, and that in 1692 there was a drought (so presumably no contamination the next year). Therefore, fitted into the timeframe, there were perfect conditions for ergot to occur.

The grains would have been stored in barns, possibly for months, before being threshed and consumed. Presumably this was done shortly after Thanksgiving (fourth thursday of November for all us non-Americans), which was the only holiday the Puritans observed. The children's symptoms began in December of 1691.

Evidence for ergot in the Salem area

Ergot could have found its way into the areas surrounding Salem by two means:

1: The Puritans bought it with them in English rye when they immigrated to the New World.

2: The common grass around the area was and is, wild rye, a host plant for ergot.

Before the Puritans arrived, early colonists were dissatisfied with the wild rye as a forage for their cattle and reported that it often made the cattle ill with unknown diseases. Presumably, then, ergot grew in the New World before the Puritans arrived.

Symptoms of ergotism
There are two types of ergotism:
Gangrenous ergotism- self-explanatory, it caused blister, dry rot of extremeties etc. I think if this type of ergotism was occuring there would be some record of it, but from what I can find, there isn't.

The second type is Convulsive Ergotism. It attacks the central nervous system causing;
* mania
* psychosis
* hallucinations
* paralysis
* prickling sensations in the skin
* painful muscular contractions
*tinnitus aurium (a fancy way of saying ringing in the ears, or buzzing)
* disturbances in sensation
* vomiting and diarrhea

Now let's look at the reported symptoms of the afflicted girls:
* The girls complained of being pinched and pricked with pins
* contortion into strange positions
* screaming and making strange sounds
* having fits

'Spectral Evidence' used by the accusers (including girls)
* Accusations of choking, pricking with pins, and biting by the specter of the accused
* Complaints of vomiting and "bowels almost pulled out"
* Visions of the accused, or their specter, hurting or cursing them

Caporael makes an important point about the clear correlation between the symptoms of ergot poisoning, and the documented notes of the symptoms of the afflicted and the 'evidence' used by the accused during the witch trials.

'When examined in the light of a physiological hypothesis, the content of so-called delusional testimony, previously dismissed as imaginary by historians, can be re-interpreted as evidence of ergotism.'

Caporael's theory is certainly plausible, and I find more satisfying and more interesting than simply saying the girls were faking it. Whilst we will never be able to prove the existence of ergot at the time, the evidence provides at least a circumstantial case.