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The witchcraft of encephalitis in Salem | Journal of Neurology | Springer Nature Link

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The study of the causes of bewitchment throughout history has captured the imagination of both modern historians and scientists. In an article in Science in 1976, Caporael proposed convulsive ergotism, from the rye fungus, Claviceps purpurea, as a biomedical explanation for the events at the Salem witch trials of 1692 [1]. The article generated a significant amount of debate on the subject [2] and interest in modern interpretation of historical epidemics of witchcraft. Encephalitis lethargica (EL) was suggested as another possible cause in Salem by Carlson [3]. More recently, historian Uszkalo compared symptomatology of the bewitched of early modern England to that of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis [4]. Considering recent findings in anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, it is possible that Uszkalo’s proposition may also apply to the famous episode in Salem.

The witchcraft of encephalitis in Salem Letter to the Editors Published: 19 June 2017 Volume 264 , pages 1529–1531 ( 2017 ) Cite this article Save article View saved research Journal of Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access. Access this article Log in via an institution Subscribe and save Springer+ from $39.99 /Month Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals Cancel anytime View plans Buy Now Buy article PDF USD 39

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