Examples Of Alternative Explanations Of Witch Behaviours During The Salem Witch Trials

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Alternative Explanations of Witch Behaviors During the Salem Witch Trials By: Chloe Lindner In 1692, a group of girls were accused of performing witchcraft in Salem Village, Massachusetts. After the first accusations were made, more than 200 men, women, and children were convicted. The colonists believed the strange behavior of the accused to be the result of demonic possession and other supernatural forces. However, modern investigation suggests that the abnormal actions of the “witches” were due to factors such as ergot poisoning, boredom, encephalitis or mass psychogenic illness (MSI). Evidence also suggests that neither of these causes acted alone but rather in combination with each other. In January of 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts,

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