Ergotism In The Salem Witch Trial

The Dark Ages was the period of sorrow and nothing extravagant ever occurred during this period. During The Dark Ages there were multiple diseases and Ergotism was one of them. Ergotism played a role in The Salem Witch Trial during The Dark Ages. We, as Americans today are extremely fortunate to live in a free, peaceful, and comfortable life. We are surrounded in a clean environment with little to no trash. We receive cures for different diseases so we can remain healthy. Doctors in America today are well educated and care for our well-being. American youth today have the choice to work, if they do they are treated with respect, and they can only work a certain amount of hours by law. Americans in today 's generation eat equal quality food
Linnda R. Caporale, now a professor at Renasselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, looked into different aspects to prove that Ergotism played a part in The Salem Witch Trial. In her research, "Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem", she looked at the growing conditions back in The Dark Ages. She states that the grass in the Atlantic Coast from Virginia to New Foundland was and still is wild rye. Wild rye is a host for ergot to grow. The colonist back then weren 't pleased with wild rye because it made their cattle ill with unknown diseases. She also states in her research that the ergot grew in the New World before the Puritans arrived. Rye was relied on and was well-established New England crop by the 1640s. Spring sowing was required for growing rye but winter time made fall sowing unsuccessful. Caporael looked into threshing as well. Seed time for rye was April, harvesting took place in August but the grain was stored in barns before being threshed during the cold weather. Threshing occurred before the Puritans only celebrated holiday, Thanksgiving. The young girls’ symptoms appeared in 1691. She mentions the location in her research as well. As stated in the beginning, Ergot grows in wet and cold environments. The western section of Salem Village, Putnam 's residence which he inherited and where most of the accused and accusers lived consisted of swampy meadows. These swampy meadows were valued farmland to colonist back in The Dark Ages. The area was rumored to be contaminated. Not only did the accused and accusers live in the western section of Salem Village but the defenders of the accused live there too. This was Linnda Caporael 's second reason to why ergotism played a role in the