Children accused of witchcraft in 17th-century Finnmark

Willumsen, Liv Helene

doi:10.1080/03468755.2012.741450

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In Finnmark, a 1634 trial mentioned an alleged victim of witchcraft who lost one arm, it 'got so painful that it withered' (Hagen and Sparboe, 1998: 126-7), and a 1632 trial recorded tell-tale symptoms in a female victim: 'At the autopsy, her back and thighs were found to be as blue as the bottom of a kettle' (Hagen and Sparboe, 1998: 112-13;Willumsen, 2010: 70; see Alm, 2003a: 409).…”

Section: Gangrenementioning

confidence: 99%

Ergotism in Norway. Part 1: The symptoms and their interpretation from the late Iron Age to the seventeenth century

Alm

Elvevåg

2013

Hist Psychiatry

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Ergotism is a horrendous disease with grotesque symptoms caused by ingesting specific ergot alkaloids. Mass poisoning episodes are attributable to consumption of grain -usually rye -infected with the fungus Claviceps purpurea. By focusing on possible cases of ergotism, we re-examine Norwegian history from the sagas through to the end of the seventeenth century. Our review -not intended to be exhaustive, or ex post facto to assign medical or psychiatric labels -draws attention to the very real possibility that many remarkable medical cases may have been the result of the ingestion of highly poisonous and psychoactive food substances. Where possible we highlight explanations given at the time -often rooted in religion or demonology -to explain the disease.

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Section: Gangrenementioning

confidence: 99%