Symptoms And Symptoms Of A Fever Of Salem, By Laurie Winn...

afflicted were experiencing these symptoms due to bewitchment, but there may be other explanations. For instance, Laurie Winn Carlson wrote a book, A fever in Salem, and argued that the girls may be haven suffering from Encephalitis Lethargica. This is an inflammation of the brain spread by insects and birds. The symptoms of this illness include behavior changes, tremors, neck rigidity and abnormal eye movements. Carlson goes on to say that a doctor had been called in to see the girls and was unable to find a physical cause of their symptoms, and so he concluded that they suffered from possession by witchcraft. This was a common diagnosis of undefined conditions at the time (Saxon). A second explanation for their symptoms could be the fungi, ergot, which affected the grains in the town of Salem. Science Magazine published a study in 1976 that concluded that ergot may have been to blame for the victim’s behavior. Ergot is commonly found in rye and wheat and may cause symptoms such as delusions, vomiting, and muscle spasms (History). Rye was the most common grain found in Massachusetts in 1962, the combination of damp climate as well as the long storage period could have caused the fungus to grow on the grains which the afflicted would eat (Saxon) . The symptoms could also have been brought on by mental stress, as the citizens of Salem were undergoing so many things in such a short amount of time. Historian Chadwick Hansen claims that the symptoms of hysteria are incrediblyShow MoreRelatedSalem Witch Trial vs Mccarthyism1208 Words   |  5 PagesA review of A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials, by Laurie Winn Carlson, Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, 2000; 224 pp. $14.95 Paperback. ISBN: 1-566633095 A FEVER IN SALEM POSITS A biological cause for the early modem witchcraft epidemic, which resulted in the hanging of 19 people in Salem, MA, in 1692. Witchcraft persecution, Laurie Carlson writes, arose because of the strange behavior of the supposedly bewitched accusers. She concludes that the cause was a disease unrecognizableRead MoreEncephalitis Lethargica vs Witchcraft in Salem993 Words   |  4 Pagesearly 1692 Salem village, Massachusetts began to experience strange occurrences among their residents. Victims suffered from strange mental and physical illnesses. The randomness of the victims, and their unusual symptoms, led residents to suspect a supernatural explanation. These suspicions eventually led to the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Past historians have concentrated their research on the accused, while Laurie Winn Carlson focuses on the afflicted in her novel, A Fever in Salem: A New InterpretationRead MoreSalem Witch Trials: Socioeconomics, Religion, and Fear2828 Words à ‚  |  12 PagesSIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS: SOCIOECONOMICS, RELIGION, AND FEAR A PAPER SUBMITTED TO SISTER JEANNE LEFEBVRE FOR HISTORIOGRAPHY AND METHODOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BY NICHOLAS KNEZEVICH ADRIAN, MICHIGAN MAY 2006 Abstract The Salem Witch Trials were caused by socioeconomic problems that were intertwined with the fabric that held early American life together: religion. Puritanisms lack of set doctrine lent itself to the possibility of corrupt leadership