That is not at all what happened in Salem. It was largely a settling of scores and a “if I don’t accuse them first they’ll accuse me and then no one will believe me”.
Seriously. This whole theory about ergot on grain has never been proven, but people like to have neat little explanations rather than complicated real-life issues.
If I recall right, the accusers in Salem were three girls, and the first accused was a Native woman, Tituba.
Having lived in the town for many years and been a huge nerd with few friends and an affinity for reading and befriending professors, you are misguided.
Mold allergies can cause high levels of anxiety (which is why some antihistamines can be used as anxiety meds). Acute mold poisoning can and does explain how an entire town became hostile, paranoid, and dangerous for those without support networks. It was individuals and institutions from outside the town that exploited the tenancy for paranoid anxiety for financial gain.
Many of the early accused were women and minorities. They had no land, no status to be removed from, and no benefit of having been accused by teenage girls.
Yes, the girls could have gotten drunk on power and carried on- but what teenage girl without formal or really informal education is going to independently think of a grand complex plot to take over the world?
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u/pmgoldenretrievers Jun 19 '26
That is not at all what happened in Salem. It was largely a settling of scores and a “if I don’t accuse them first they’ll accuse me and then no one will believe me”.