| Seized in Salem |
 |
 |
| By Cathy Hartt, RN, CNM, MS |
| music: Granny (The Witch Song) www.angelfire.com/ks/tomes2/CalontirSongs/granny.htm |
| "Their arms, necks and backs were turned this way and that, and returned back again, so as it was impossible for them to do of themselves, and beyond the power of any epileptic fits, or natural disease to affect," wrote Reverend John Hale during the witchcraft hysteria of 1692 Salem, MA. When confronted with symptoms so inexplicable, most physicians of the time considered the diagnosis to be witchcraft. If it was not in their medical books, what else could it be? Such was the case when Dr. William Griggs of Salem Village was summoned by Reverend Parris to examine his (Parris') own daughter and niece in December of 1691. The two girls were among the first afflicted in the village and had not responded to Parris' attempts to cure them through prayer and fasting. Beyond the initial "fits" of these young girls, there were alarming community-wide symptoms described in the literature. Symptoms such as temporary loss of hearing, speech and sight; a choking sensation in the throat, and a loss of appetite. There was also a loss of memory, so most girls could not remember what had occurred during the seizure. Later the afflicted and accused both developed horrific hallucinations of specters that came to torment their souls. They frequently felt the specters had bitten or pinched them. Sometimes there were even physical marks on their skin. There are several theories about what caused the witch crisis in Salem. Mass hysteria fueled by zealous Puritan faith (along with culturally born fears of the time) is one of the predominant theories of historians. Another theory is that there was jealousy related to ownership of land and inheritances. To this day, some religious sects believe the crisis was spiritually induced. Lastly, there is a theory that the rye was contaminated with a mold that caused both seizures and hallucinations. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the two theories above which offer the most scientific reason for the contagious seizures that gripped the community: Hysteria and rye mold contamination. Hysterical seizures are now referred to as non-epileptic seizures in the medical literature. Non-epileptic seizures can originate from psychological factors and seem to be caused by stressful experiences or emotional trauma. These seizures are thought to be one way that the body indicates excessive stress. This type of seizure may result from incest, rape, sexual or physical abuse, either recent or in the past. Others may have experienced a major life event such as divorce or the death of someone close to them. It is interesting to note that hysterical seizures were seen frequently in soldiers during combat until the early 20th century in Western civilizations. During World War II, only six cases of hysterical seizures were diagnosed out of over one hundred and fifty cases of hysteria requiring treatment in British soldiers. At this same hospital, soldiers from India displayed seizures as the most common symptom of hysteria. The symptoms in Western civilization may have died out as our culture stopped respecting non-epileptic seizures (Hansen, 1969). Perhaps the seizures were replaced with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms so prominent in Vietnam War era veterans. There are a couple of interesting facts about Salem, which seem to support the hysteria theory. The first is that most those who confessed to witchcraft were, also, thought to be having hysterical hallucinations. In fact, most gave unsolicited, lengthy and detailed confessions in writing. The second is that once the accused person was arrested, the accuser (afflicted) person would almost immediately have full relief of the symptoms (at least until visited by another specter). Another theory arose in 1976 in an article written by Linnda R. Caporeal in the April issue of Science: the theory of the contaminated rye grain. The rye is thought to have been contaminated by a fungus called ergot. Those who are midwives or women's health professionals will recognize ergot as part of a family of medications we use to treat hemorrhage in childbearing women. It has other modern day medical uses, as well, such as treatment of migraine headaches. This fungus is also chemically related to LSD, a hallucinogen. Symptoms of overdose include diarrhea, numbness in the extremities, itching, seizures, headaches, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. In favor of this theory is the fact that several households where the seizures began also had access to fresh rye grain. During 1691 and 1692, the climatic conditions in Salem were favorable for ergot poisoning. The timing of the outbreaks also corresponds to when the grain would have been harvested and eaten. Also supportive of this theory is that in 1951, in Pont-St. Esprit, France, there was an outbreak of ergotism similar to what Caporeal proposed happened in Salem. Though more modern than Salem, this town had only one bakery and there were no preservatives in use there. During the French occurrence, people developed burning sensations in their limbs and had hallucinations that they could fly. Modern day EEGs and blood tests would put short order to the question about what caused the seizures in the young Salem girls and the hallucinations that became wide-spread in their community in 1692. What we know is that the seizures looked like epilepsy. We can also surmise from the literature that the symptoms started with one girl and, over a few months, spread to a large percentage of the population. We recognize that the afflicted girls were often reported to be physically well between seizures, which opposes the ergot poisoning theory. Lacking the ability to go back in time, it is left to us from a different culture and in a different time to try to piece together the cause of the frightful fits and hallucinations that swept 20 convicted "witches" to their death by hanging. We will conclude with a statement made by the author of the ergot theory herself: "No single explanation can ever account for the delusion; an interaction of them all must be assumed." Editor's note: Our next issue of Empower! will look at the role that the actual midwives in Salem played during the witch crisis of 1692. |
 |
| An hysterical fit, from J.M. Charcot, Lectures on the Diseases of the Nervous System (London, 1877) |