Good drugs/Bad drugs?

[Peter Trachtenberg]

On Fri, 29 Sep 1995, Burgess, John wrote:

> LSD, in its rye-ergot form, is a pretty natural drug, at least as natural 
> as peyote or marijuana or amanita.  As a fungus of the rye plant -- which 
> was a staple in the central/northern European diet --
> the opportunities for accidental injestion were rife.  
> 
> According to some interpreters, entire villages would sometimes be 
> overcome by the "natural form" of LSD, leading to events that were seen 
> as absolutely terrifying visions of the Final Judgement.  This syndrome, 
> known as St. {can't remember who}'s Dance, is pretty well documented 
> contemporaneously, though without (obviously) a causative agent.  There's 
> some suggestion that ergot poisoning had a bearing on the Dance of Death 
> (Todentanse) and its depiction in many woodcuts of the period.
> 
> Unlike ergot, though, coal tar isn't terribly useful unless and until 
> it's run through some sort of chemical process.  Taken in it's "natural 
> state," it's merely toxic, with no known psychogenic/psychodelic effect.
> 
> 
>I believe the ergotism syndrome was called "St. Anthony's Fire," after 
the Saint who was tormented by demonic visitations in the desert. St. 
Vitus's dance was a disorder of the nervous system. It must have been 
renamed, like dropsy and apoplexy. 

Peter T.
"Life is tough, but it's even tougher if you're stupid."