Carlson combines historical and scientific research to offer an explanation for the hysteria in the late 17th century at Salem and other places in New England. Rather than focusing on the accused, she looks at the people who were afflicted with hallucinations, convulsions, psychosis, and often death, then seeks a possible physical cause for the symptoms. She finds a close fit in reports of the encephalitic epidemic in the early 20th century, and presents epidemiological and other evidence to add support. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Members of nearly every major school of historical analysis have taken a crack at explaining the Salem witch trials, from Freudian scholars (who posit mass hysteria) to Marxists (class conflict over property), from feminists (hatred of women) to more ecologically minded historians (a hallucinogenic ergot fungus on grain). In this innovative new study, an independent scholar focuses on the physical symptoms of "possession"Äconvulsions, hallucinations, distorted language, paralysisÄwhich are precisely congruent with those of encephalitis lethargica. Carlson (On Sidesaddles to Heaven) supports her case with an impressive array of sources, including legal records of the trials, accounts of Puritan religious and medical beliefs, histories of witchcraft and of mental illness, scientific studies of plagues and Oliver Sacks's Awakenings (which dealt with the victims of the encephalitis epidemic of 1916-30). She never "explains" the event in its entirety, leaving open the possibility of further analysis of the public, religious and legal response to these phenomena. Discussing other possible historical and cultural ramifications of encephalitis symptoms, Carlson provocatively suggests that the disease may have inspired the Sleeping Beauty folk tale and been at the root of some Christian mystical experiences. While her use of radical psychiatrist Thomas Szasz's work to analyze cross-cultural "epidemics of mental illness" and her superficial reading of feminist analyses are not up to the high standard of the rest of the book, her theory, though ultimately impossible to prove, is persuasive. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Hundreds of books have offered Freudian, sociological, or gender-based "definitive" interpretations of the Salem witch trials of 1692. Some see the trials as an example of society's hostility toward the old, the renegade, or the foreigner. Others view Salem's 20 executed citizens as martyrs to "the burning times," when Christians tried to stamp out any remnants of ancient nature religions. Carlson, an independent scholar, offers a fascinating and far less value-laden theory. She believes that encephalitis lethargica, the viral "sleeping sickness" that caused an epidemic in the 1920s, was responsible. Salem's many wetlands and its location on a migratory flyway provided ideal conditions for the transmission of insect-born viruses. Symptoms include hallucinations, convulsions, and marks on the skin that may resemble the bites many alleged victims reported. "Bewitched" livestock might have been the result of a coexistent animal version of the illness. Carlson's compelling narrative begs for assessment by medical experts. A valuable purchase for libraries seeking more than a basic summary of the witch trials.ÄKathy Arsenault, Univ. of South Florida, St. Petersburg Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

YA-Carlson examines the behavior and physical symptoms that led to accusations of witchcraft and subsequently to trials, imprisonment, and executions. Using various sources including diaries and court records, the author compares reports of the symptoms of the citizens and livestock of the 17th century with those described by victims afflicted with encephalitis lethargica during the early 20th century. Her discussion, which includes such things as convulsions, hallucinations, and paralysis, is fascinating and it is easy to see how what couldn't be explained within the limits of medical knowledge at the time took on a life of its own. Particularly useful features include a chronology that compares patterns of disease in the Colonies and Europe and a statistical appendix. The medical terms might prove difficult for all but the most advanced student but those willing to persevere would certainly find much about which to think. The author's intent was to stimulate readers to look at history and the present in different ways, and she has certainly achieved this goal.-Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

In Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 1600s, many people were accused of witchcraft, and some were legally convicted and hanged as witches. Most modern interpretations of these events focus on the accusers, stressing the psychodynamics or the social conditions that motivated their accusations. But others have focused instead on the supposed victims of the witchcraft (a number of whom died) and suggested that physical ailments--including ergotism--might have led to ill-health and to behavioral disturbances that were (reasonably) attributed to witchcraft. Also focusing on the victims, Carlson agrees with critics of the ergotism hypothesis and argues that a sound interpretation can be supplied by supposing an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. Detailed original records of the victims' health and behavior agree with records of victims of more recent epidemics, now attributed to an encephalitis of viral origin. With this modern medical background in mind, Carlson recommends further comparison of the Salem events and records of other epidemics of the same period. Although Carlson perhaps exaggerates the extent to which her interpretation replaces accusation-based interpretations, she convincingly demonstrates at least a major supplement to them. For large academic collections at all levels. I. L. Child; emeritus, Yale University From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.