This is a great article because it follows the money behind the Salem Witch Trials, and following the money is the best way to discover the truth.
I'm working on a post about King Philip's War, which preceded the events you talk about by 17 years. You might be interested in the video, and I would certainly be interested in any thoughts you have about it. It's not too many people who delve into this part of our history.
It WAS Ergot Poisoning. There were similar events in France and Germany in the 14th or 15th century. Ergot is a mold that affects the husks of wheat grain that has been stored in damp conditions, in lowlands and usually after a rainy season. The poor people of Salem lived in the lowlands and ate brown bread (with husks) while wealthier folk lived in higher land and preferred white bread.
The mold, when ingested, can cause a reaction similar to the drug LSD. Ergotomine and variants are still administered today usually during third stage labour to cause the placenta to come away and prevent excess bleeding. I know this as l was prescribed a new medication in 1978 for persistent migraines which coincided with my menstual cycle. I had an extremely bad allergic reaction which caused me to hallucinate as though (l was later told) l had been "possessed by demons" for 3 days.
Besides dismissing the scientific facts, you did write a very entertaining story.
I'm sorry about your experience, however just because ergot was a part of your experience doesn’t mean it explains every historical case. The theory has been debunked over time, and my explanation adds but one more to that pile. It’s an interesting thought experiment, but the evidence doesn’t support it as a reasonable explanation for the events in Salem. I also felt that the tone of your last line was unnecessarily dismissive, and I’d appreciate a more respectful exchange of ideas moving forward.
I'm very glad that someone asked, I was actually counting on it. The tool in question is dialectical materialism; it's a theoretical framework that allows us to make these analyses and not only that, but make them correctly. I chose not to spell it out plainly in the piece as I knew people would rush to Google it and find the Wikipedia page which is more confusing than anything.
Very interesting! Nice work.
This is a great article because it follows the money behind the Salem Witch Trials, and following the money is the best way to discover the truth.
I'm working on a post about King Philip's War, which preceded the events you talk about by 17 years. You might be interested in the video, and I would certainly be interested in any thoughts you have about it. It's not too many people who delve into this part of our history.
Sounds interesting, you can definitely send it my way 😃
You are right to "follow the money" insofar as the "witches" were poor women that were affected.
It WAS Ergot Poisoning. There were similar events in France and Germany in the 14th or 15th century. Ergot is a mold that affects the husks of wheat grain that has been stored in damp conditions, in lowlands and usually after a rainy season. The poor people of Salem lived in the lowlands and ate brown bread (with husks) while wealthier folk lived in higher land and preferred white bread.
The mold, when ingested, can cause a reaction similar to the drug LSD. Ergotomine and variants are still administered today usually during third stage labour to cause the placenta to come away and prevent excess bleeding. I know this as l was prescribed a new medication in 1978 for persistent migraines which coincided with my menstual cycle. I had an extremely bad allergic reaction which caused me to hallucinate as though (l was later told) l had been "possessed by demons" for 3 days.
Besides dismissing the scientific facts, you did write a very entertaining story.
I'm sorry about your experience, however just because ergot was a part of your experience doesn’t mean it explains every historical case. The theory has been debunked over time, and my explanation adds but one more to that pile. It’s an interesting thought experiment, but the evidence doesn’t support it as a reasonable explanation for the events in Salem. I also felt that the tone of your last line was unnecessarily dismissive, and I’d appreciate a more respectful exchange of ideas moving forward.
Ref. Linnda Caporael (1976)
https://engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/1037#:~:text=In%201976%20Linnda%20Caporael,when%20they're%20actually%20stoned.
Wow, sounds like Salem was an old school offensive mkpsyop using old school lsd. A precursor to mkultra. Thanks for this insightful study. I would very much appreciate your read on this related subject matter @ https://open.substack.com/pub/treeborne/p/we-are-in-the-last-stretch-around?r=5nefo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true. Regards and well wishes.
I'm very glad that someone asked, I was actually counting on it. The tool in question is dialectical materialism; it's a theoretical framework that allows us to make these analyses and not only that, but make them correctly. I chose not to spell it out plainly in the piece as I knew people would rush to Google it and find the Wikipedia page which is more confusing than anything.
Instead I can point you to Georges Politzer's Elementary Principles of Philosophy which is really *the* textbook on it: https://bannedthought.net/MLM-Theory/Diamat/OldDiamatWorks/ElementaryPrinciplesOfPhilosophy-Politzer-Reprint-2021-OCR.pdf (pdf link). I will also start talking about dialectics and materialism shortly in my newsletter, though I'm not sure when exactly I'll start this series.