salem witchcraft is it all because of a bread mold?

I think the mold was called ergot. Let me see what I can find....

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Ergot is caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea, which affects rye, wheat and other cereal grasses. When first infected, the flowering head of a grain will spew out sweet, yellow-colored mucus, called "honey dew," which contains fungal spores that can spread the disease. Eventually, the fungus invades the developing kernels of grain, taking them over with a network of filaments that turn the grains into purplish-black sclerotia. Sclerotia can be mistaken for large, discolored grains of rye. Within them are potent chemicals, ergot alkaloids, including lysergic acid (from which LSD is made) and ergotamine (now used to treat migraine headaches). The alkaloids affect the central nervous system and cause the contraction of smooth muscle — the muscles that make up the walls of veins and arteries, as well as the internal organs.

http://www.luminet.net/~wenonah/history/ergot.htm

Type ergot witches into Google and you'll find a ton of stuff. Good luck on your paper!

So, are you chalking up the witch trials to only bread mold?
what else are you going to include in your paper?

This appears to be the article that started all of the hoopla:

http://web.utk.edu/~kstclair/221/ergotism.html

Unfortunatly
( and i make this speech on all the witch craft/ salem trial threads i see... so here goes.. hehe )
Ergot played a part in the trials Yes.
So did Schitzophrenia, Bi Polar disorders, Sleep walking, Diarrhea, Headaches, siezures, staph in fections.. you name it.
Anything that could be used by people to ' arm' themselves with thier convictions of a witch was used. And it all worked.
ANything that was unexplainable.. ( sleep walking ) was passed on to the nearest woman the town, family, or person dislikes and she was killed.
MILLIONS of people were killed during this time period. There isnt alot of record left to learn from but I hope you find all you need

Not that many for the Salem witch trials though. The count was 20 executed and 3 died in prison.

Here's a link on it.:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/not_guilty/salem_witches/12.html

my research paper
i plan to add as much as i can....i was going to do it just on the Salem trials but i needed the science part so i added the bread mold if you have any ideas i would love to hear them! thanks
jme

no not at all


no i plan to add as much as i can i know that it isnt just the bread mold if i affended you in any way im sorry.
jme

thank you for all your help this paper isnt due till march 18 if you have anything please email me .....
[email protected]
(there are two underscores)
thanks

Welcome to a2k. Hope you enjoy your stay here.

Re: no not at all


no. You didnt offend me, I was jsut trying to find out all you were going to put in your paper because I have alot of information to give.
To find out all you can about the witch trials, make sure you include in your search england.
England was the location for thousands of deaths. I have researched this topic for years. America wasnt the location for the biggest part of the trials. In fact most of what america admits to is only a handful of deaths. I personally was able to trace 7 family members to the times of the witch trials that mysteriously dissappeared and thier belongings became property of a church.... Wich was a common occurance for the accused.

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1019497#1019497

Read this thread. The opening post is one that I made to another student who was doing much the same paper as yours
You will find some good information in it