history channel

[Elaine]

I saw a show on the history channel tonight that said that the Salem witch trials were started by encipholitus (sp?) spread to humans through mosquitos!! the people would start twitching and having holucinations (sometimes of "witches") and they assumed that (instead of thinking hey maybe it's some sort of plague or disease or something) it was witches putting spells on people...thoughs???

I have to say that I was quite impressed with this show!! it was completely on the side of the "witches" I was surprised!!

[Fawn]

Did you see the show they did back in January about the food poisoning was the cause of all the hoopla over 'witchcraft' in Salem? That I buy!! They did not have very good means of keeping foods and personal hygenie was not a high priority either so that leads me to wonder if they would be all that careful with their food preparation?
I saw this show also it was interesting.
I also saw a show (forget where):crazy: about how the girls being "bewitched" were just being royal pain in the posteriors and picking on others they disliked--that sounds pretty feasible to me also.

[bluecat]

In our Anthro of Religion Classes we discussed this event. Fawn is closer to the answer I am familiar with. There was a certain fungus in the Rye wheat, and it's flour, that produced hallucinations. There is also the issue of gross misbehaviour on the parts of a very many people, not just the young girls.

Blue :rolleyes:

[Hestia]

The wheat contamination theory is also the one I'm familiar with. LifeTime channel also did a feature called Witches - An Intimate Portrait several years ago and they noted that after the hysteria of the trials the young girls who were 'bewitched' never encountered the same problems again and went on to live seemingly normal lives.

[Elaine]

there's really no historical proof of what actually happened...all we really know is that these "witches" weren't really witches at all......??? is that right???

[bluecat]

Originally posted by Elaine
there's really no historical proof of what actually happened...all we really know is that these "witches" weren't really witches at all......??? is that right???

As far as anyone can tell, they were not witches, but victims of a hysteria. :(

Blue

[Elaine]

that's what I thought!! thanks bluecat!:)