Essay: The cause of the Salem witch trials

The Salem witch trials are one of the most well-studied events of history. Yet, historians still have not concluded an absolute cause for the occurrences. Some historians, such as Lyle Koehler, believe that Salem witchcraft hysteria occurred because of gender relations. Since the majority of the accused were women, Koehler argues that the female accusers were unconsciously searching for power to conquer their own inferiority during such changing times. On the other hand, historians such as Laurie Winn Carlson argue that the hysteria was due to the people suffering from an epidemic of encephalitis. Although both historians provide strong points over what might have occurred centuries ago, Laurie Winn Carlson introduces arguments over the possibility of an unrecognized epidemic that outweighs the ideologies of Lyle Koehler when it comes to the witchcraft hysteria.
To begin with, Laurie Winn Carlson explains that although misogyny may be an acceptable explanation as to who was accused of witchcraft, it does not explain the symptoms and patterns that occurred throughout time and distance. Carlson argues that there was no social benefit to the “witches” and makes valuable questions such as, “how socially redeeming would writhing on the ground ‘like a hog’ and… ‘barking like a dog’… be for a destitute young servant girl who hoped to marry above her station?” Women of lower and higher class who were accused could gain nothing from society through their actions. The accused lost more than what they could have possibly gained.
Furthermore, Carlson provides comparisons between the unrecognized encephalitis epidemic of the seventeenth century with the encephalitis pandemic of the early twentieth century. She states, “the ‘pricking and pinching’ repeated so often in the court records at Salem can be explained by the way patients’ skin surfaces exhibits twitches… twitches were seldom absent in cases of… encephalitis… during the 1920s epidemic… skin surface also experienced… red areas [that] appeared due to dilation and congestion of the capillaries [this] would explain the… suspected bites made by witches.” Many of the references in court documents during the Salem witchcraft hysteria can be compared to modern-day encephalitis. Both women and men experienced these symptoms which further strengthen Carlson’s claim that the hysteria was due to biological factors.
Although Lyle Koehler makes valid arguments over women using the witchcraft hysteria as a means to express themselves in their societal turmoil, Koehler does not explain how these hysterical fits of the accused witches were able to spread to other towns and throughout time. Koehler explains that “Twenty-eight different persons, including four Andover women, fell subject to hysterical attacks in five outlying towns.” Because of this claim, Carlson’s argument over potential encephalitis epidemic appears stronger. If Koehler’s claim were absolutely true, outlying towns would not have faced the same experiences as Salem did with the same degree of impact.
Therefore, Carlson’s argument over the cause behind the witch trials appears stronger. The very first accusations of witches occurred because these individuals experienced symptoms that had never been seen before. At the core of the hysteria, both genders showed symptoms of a possible encephalitis epidemic. Carlson tries to find an explanation for the hysteria that includes both genders and time, while Koehler only argues why certain women may have been targeted or were targeting their own gender.