In five pages this paper discusses the impact of rye grain's fungal mutations in this region and how they may have affected the witchcraft behaviors in Salem during the late seventeenth century. Seven sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_BBsalemT.doc
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
one relative cause. However one influence, that has only recently been suggested is" ergot poisoning," a fungal mutation present on rye grain during certain climatic and land conditions. This
paper will examine that possibility. Ergot Ergot poisoning is "due to the alkaloids produced by the fungus, Claviceps purpurea, which can infect wheat, barley, rye, oats, and wild grasses
such as wheatgrass, quackgrass, smooth bromegrass, wild rye, and bluegrasses" (Burfening ppg). It can impact livestock in dramatic ways as well as endanger humans, depending upon the amount of
grain eaten. This is considered the oldest form of fungal poisoning and may be traced to the disease infestation known as "St. Anthonys Fire" in the Middle Ages (http://ftp.agrenv.mcgill.ca/staff/chan/420/lecture7/tsld008.htm).
Symptoms: The physical and psychological symptoms in humans sound like an agricultural version of the "Little Shop of Horrors." The skin feels like it is burning, the extremities
twitch violently and uncontrollably. There is extreme cramping, vomiting, possible abortions and diarrhea. In extreme cases limbs become gangrenous and the flesh literally falls from the body"
(http://www.bk.psu.edu/faculty/sidl er/la283/studentwebs/Karish.html#Ergot). The chemical composition found in the hallucinogen LSD is also present in this fungal mutation. We do not hear of these extreme symptoms in
Salem, but our proposed question allowed the possibility of a number of factors influencing the trials and ergot poisoning was just one of them. Conditions of growth: As
mentioned, this particular fungus grows on both domestic and wild grains, particularly in low wet ground. There has been some thought that a long cold winter must proceed the
infected growth cycle (Spanos 359). The measurement of tree rings would be one way to determine if that winter of 1691 had been a harsh one, however this method of