A dataset containing the ergotism data presented in Spanos and Gottlieb (1976) Table 1. The dataframe records the symptoms possible symptoms of ergotism reported about 22 individuals.
ergotism_symptomsA data frame with 22 rows and 20 variables:
Name of the sufferer
Volume number of RSW
Page number
Vomitting
Diarrhea
Livid skin
Permanent contractures
Pain in extremities
Death
Temporary muscle stiffness
Convulsions Cases Spanos and Gottlieb considered uncertain are coded missing.
Ravenous appetite
Perceptual disturbances Cases Spanos and Gottlieb considered uncertain are coded missing.
Apparitions
Sensations of hot & cold
Skin sensations
Stomach pain
Choking sensations
Temporary inability to speak
Total number of symptoms
Spanos, N. P., & Gottlieb, J. (1976). Ergotism and the Salem Village Witch Trials. Science, 194(4272), 1390–1394.
Spanos and Gottlieb, with one exeption (E. Keysar), drew the data from depositions in the Records of the Salem Witchcraft collection. Details of data collection are provided in the article. The data set indicates the volume and page of the individual report. J. Doritch is also mentioned in volume 2 page 179 of RSW.
The article is an attempt to compare the actual symptoms reported to a list of symptoms of ergotism. For each variable a 1 inidicates that the symptom was reported, while a 0 indicated it was not reported. They conclude that "We examined these 112 depositions looking for behavior that, even in a broad sense, might possibly represent symptoms of convulsive ergotism."