How the Ergot Theory of the Salem Witch Trials Gained a Foothold

24/10 14:30 - How the Ergot Theory of the Salem Witch Trials Gained a Foothold
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the 1970s, we learned about the possibility that ergot, a rye fungus, may have cause the strange behavior of some young women that eventually led to the Salem witch trials of 1692-3. You can read about that theory in a previous article. It was criticized and debunked rather quickly, but the theory went viral, in a chain of events Jorge Cham illustrated in this comic. The story went viral long before the internet, because (as journalists and scientists know) the initial story makes the front page, and the retraction is always on page ten or so. And people are still spreading the ergot theory today.  So what happened? Undergrad student Linnda R. Caporael had to write a paper for a history class. She was a science major, so chose a scientific approach to the Salem witch trials. When she later became a grad student, she submitted that paper to a science journal, which published it in 1976. The story was intriguing, and was soon covered by science journalists. Read how the erroneous theory was proposed and debunked, yet stayed with the public for more than 50 years so far. -via Strange Company ...