I've Got the Ergot Rot

http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/photos/barley_ergot.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Barger.TIF/lossy-page1-702px-Barger.TIF.jpg

So.... I just found out that people used to die from something called bread poisoning aka ergotism aka Saint Anthony's Fire. Of course I had to check out Wikipedia. This little protruding fungus, Claviceps purpurea, loves grasses and especially rye where it is less visible. It is linked to the Salem Witch Trials and one of the many conditions that used to fall under the diagnoses of Saint Anthony's Fire. Symptoms are convulsive, gangrenous, or both. Ergotism can be passed through lactation to babies. Wiki also claims that "there is evidence of ergot poising serving a ritual purpose in the ritual killing of certain bog bodies".... that sentence seems a bit off... maybe the poster will come add to it one day. The last sever outbreak of bread poisoning occurred in Ethiopia, 2001, due to some contaminated barley. This little ailment crosses the species barrier into mammals(that I know of), in particular ones with hooves. Medical companies also use this little fungus to make drugs... that I did not read about. Sorry for the graphic image.

–Maia B