Salem's Ergot: Witchcraft or Fungus?

Between the years of 1692 and 1693 in the town of Salem, hundreds of people were accused of witchcraft and 19 people were executed, in a mass hysteria fueled by religious fervor. The trials first began when three young girls came forward accusing a few local women of afflicting them with curses through witchcraft. The girls claimed they suffered convulsions, burning of the skin, and strange visions. These symptoms, or “curses” are noticeably like those caused by a disease that was common in Europe at the time, ergotism. [2] Ergotism is caused by the mold, ergot, and is spread through infected bread. This begs the question: were the Salem Witch Trials religious hysteria influenced by ergot poisoning?

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Work Title Salem's Ergot: Witchcraft or Fungus?
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Michael Patrick Pugliano
Keyword
  1. Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival 2025
  2. Undergraduate Research
License CC BY 4.0 (Attribution)
Work Type Poster
Acknowledgments
  1. Faculty Mentor: Edward Hipkiss
Publication Date April 25, 2025
Related URLs
  1. https://montalto.psu.edu/academics/festival
Deposited April 18, 2025

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Version 1
published

  • Created

    April 18, 2025 09:51 by tlr15

  • Updated

    April 18, 2025 09:51 by [unknown user]

  • Updated Keyword, Related URLs, Description, and 1 more Show Changes

    April 18, 2025 09:51 by tlr15

    Keyword
    • Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival 2025, Undergraduate Research
    Related URLs
    • https://montalto.psu.edu/academics/festival
    Description
    • Between the years of 1692 and 1693 in the town of Salem, hundreds of people were accused of witchcraft and 19 people were executed, in a mass hysteria fueled by religious fervor. The trials first began when three young girls came forward accusing a few local women of afflicting them with curses through witchcraft. The girls claimed they suffered convulsions, burning of the skin, and strange visions. These symptoms, or “curses” are noticeably like those caused by a disease that was common in Europe at the time, ergotism. [2] Ergotism is caused by the mold, ergot, and is spread through infected bread. This begs the question: were the Salem Witch Trials religious hysteria influenced by ergot poisoning?
    Publication Date
    • 2025-04-25
  • Updated Acknowledgments Show Changes

    April 18, 2025 09:52 by tlr15

    Acknowledgments
    • Faculty Mentor: Edward Hipkiss
  • Added Creator Michael Patrick Pugliano

    April 18, 2025 09:52 by tlr15

  • Added 66 Salem's Ergot.pdf

    April 18, 2025 09:53 by tlr15

  • Updated License Show Changes

    April 18, 2025 09:53 by tlr15

    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • Published

    April 18, 2025 09:53 by tlr15

  • Updated

    April 18, 2025 22:05 by [unknown user]