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The Salem Witch Trials were a fiasco that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, between 1692 and 1693. This whole mess began when Abigail Williams, niece to Reverend Parris, and Elizabeth Parris, the Reverend's daughter, began having fits, which included screaming, throwing things, and contortions of the body (Blumberg). When questioned under jurisdiction by Corwin and Hathorne, the girls claimed that three women had afflicted them (Blumberg). These women included Tituba, Parris' slave, Sarah Good, who was homeless, and Sarah Osborne, an elderly woman who lived in poverty (Blumberg). Of these three, Tituba was the only one to confess to the crime of witchcraft, and she did so with a very detailed account. After this occurrence, paranoia spread, and many more were accused. By May of 1693, when Governor Phipps finally pardoned and released from prison all those accused of witchcraft, 19 people had been hanged and 200 had been accused (Blumberg).
Many people wonder how this situation could have gotten so blown out of proportion. The most well accepted theory, proposed by psychologist Linnda Caporael, suggests that Abigail, Elizabeth, and others were afflicted, not by witches, but by a fungus that grows on rye and wheat (Blumberg). Fungus ergot, once consumed, can cause hallucinations, vomiting, and muscle spasms (Blumberg). The fungus flourishes in warm, damp climates, much like the spring and summer climates in Massachusetts (Blumberg).
Another popular theory, first proposed by economist Emily Oster, suggests that cold weather caused tension to escalate into mass hysteria, which then led to accusations of witchcraft. Historical records show that the frequency of witch trials increases greatly when weather is not at its norm (Wolchover). Weather, of course, can affect both the economy and people's health. This, in turn, causes people to search for a scapegoat, anyone to blame, so the Puritans accused their own of witchcraft (Wolchover). The Salem Witch Trials actually occurred during a four hundred year period, which scientists refer to as "The Little Ice Age", because the average temperatures were several degrees lower than the previous standard. Not only that, but The Salem Witch Trials fell within a particularly cold period of The Little Ice Age, which lasted from 1680 to 1730 (Wolchover). Even to this day, witch killings increase if the rainfall is too heavy or too light, in Africa (Wolchover).
One more theory, first devised by Laurie Winn Carlson, proposes that many of the afflicted girls suffered from encephalitis lethargica, which is the swelling of the brain (Saxon). Symptoms for this condition include "fever, headaches, lethargy, double vision, abnormal eye movements, neck rigidity, behavioral changes, and tremor." As this ailment had not yet been identified, it is highly likely that the doctor would have blamed such occurrences on witchcraft (Saxon).
The Salem Witch Trials were a fiasco that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, between 1692 and 1693. This whole mess began when Abigail Williams, niece to Reverend Parris, and Elizabeth Parris, the Reverend's daughter, began having fits, which included screaming, throwing things, and contortions of the body (Blumberg). When questioned under jurisdiction by Corwin and Hathorne, the girls claimed that three women had afflicted them (Blumberg). These women included Tituba, Parris' slave, Sarah Good, who was homeless, and Sarah Osborne, an elderly woman who lived in poverty (Blumberg). Of these three, Tituba was the only one to confess to the crime of witchcraft, and she did so with a very detailed account. After this occurrence, paranoia spread, and many more were accused. By May of 1693, when Governor Phipps finally pardoned and released from prison all those accused of witchcraft, 19 people had been hanged and 200 had been accused (Blumberg).
Many people wonder how this situation could have gotten so blown out of proportion. The most well accepted theory, proposed by psychologist Linnda Caporael, suggests that Abigail, Elizabeth, and others were afflicted, not by witches, but by a fungus that grows on rye and wheat (Blumberg). Fungus ergot, once consumed, can cause hallucinations, vomiting, and muscle spasms (Blumberg). The fungus flourishes in warm, damp climates, much like the spring and summer climates in Massachusetts (Blumberg).
Another popular theory, first proposed by economist Emily Oster, suggests that cold weather caused tension to escalate into mass hysteria, which then led to accusations of witchcraft. Historical records show that the frequency of witch trials increases greatly when weather is not at its norm (Wolchover). Weather, of course, can affect both the economy and people's health. This, in turn, causes people to search for a scapegoat, anyone to blame, so the Puritans accused their own of witchcraft (Wolchover). The Salem Witch Trials actually occurred during a four hundred year period, which scientists refer to as "The Little Ice Age", because the average temperatures were several degrees lower than the previous standard. Not only that, but The Salem Witch Trials fell within a particularly cold period of The Little Ice Age, which lasted from 1680 to 1730 (Wolchover). Even to this day, witch killings increase if the rainfall is too heavy or too light, in Africa (Wolchover).
One more theory, first devised by Laurie Winn Carlson, proposes that many of the afflicted girls suffered from encephalitis lethargica, which is the swelling of the brain (Saxon). Symptoms for this condition include "fever, headaches, lethargy, double vision, abnormal eye movements, neck rigidity, behavioral changes, and tremor." As this ailment had not yet been identified, it is highly likely that the doctor would have blamed such occurrences on witchcraft (Saxon).
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