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The Salem Witch Trials: Ergot Meaning

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The Salem Witch Trials arise in 1692-1693 in Salem, Massachusetts. The Trials kicked-off due to a cluster of young girls who had started to behave strangely. The girls were starting to contort their bodies into odd positions they also said they could feel something or someone biting and pinching them. The girls were instantly taken to the doctor for a diagnosis and were given the diagnoses of being bewitched seeing as nothing was physically wrong with them. Based on the knowledge that has been found today we can say that the girls might have had Ergot poisoning. Ergot poisoning is a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. The girls could have also been malingering, a malinger is a person who pretends to be sick in order to avoid their responsibility.

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