A Fever in Salem

A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials

By: Laurie Winn Carlson

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Paperback | 21 August 2000

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197 Pages

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In the late winter and early spring of 1692, residents of Salem Village, Massachusetts, began to suffer from strange physical and mental maladies. The randomness of the victims, and unusual symptoms that were seldom duplicated, led residents to suspect an otherworldly menace. Their suspicions and fears eventually prompted the infamous Salem Witch Trials. While most historians have concentrated their efforts on the accused, Laurie Winn Carlson, A Fever in Salem focuses on the afflicted. What were the characteristics of a typical victim? Why did the symptoms occur when and where they did? What natural explanation could be given for symptoms that included hallucinations, convulsions, and psychosis, often resulting in death? Ms. Carlson offers an innovative, well-grounded explanation of witchcraft's link to organic illness. Systematically comparing the symptoms recorded in colonial diaries and court records to those of the encephalitis epidemic in the early twentieth century, she argues convincingly that the victims suffered from the same disease, and she offers persuasive evidence for organic explanations of other witchcraft victims throughout New England as well as in Europe. A Fever in Salem is a provocative reinterpretation of one of America's strangest moments, and a refreshing departure from widely accepted Freudian explanations of witchcraft persecution.

Industry Reviews

A fascinating, refreshing reassessment of one of the most bizarre episodes in American history.--The A-List

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History History of the Americas Medicine Medicine in General History of Medicine Science Science in General Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History Mind, Body, Spirit

Mysticism, Magic & Occult Interests Witchcraft & Wicca

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Preface	p. xiii
The Witch Craze in Seventeenth-century New England	p. 3
The Afflicted	p. 9
The Response	p. 38
Mental Illness and the Persecution of Witches	p. 61
The Forgotten Epidemic	p. 76
What Happened at Salem?	p. 114
Alternative Outcomes	p. 147
Could Encephalitis Lethargica Return?	p. 154
Afterword: Satanic Possession and Christian Beliefs	p. 157
Chronology	p. 159
Statistical Appendix	p. 167
Notes	p. 171
Bibliography	p. 183
Index	p. 189
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

A Fever in Salem

A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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