Mary Kilbourne Matossian

This book argues for an expanded role for ergotism and related diseases in explaining a range of phenomena from the Black Death through the witch hunts to the First Great Awakening and the French Revolution. While such diseases undoubtedly did affect the people of the period, I think this book's thesis is exaggerated. DNA research has confirmed the Black Death really was yersinia pestis and many of the other events also have more credible alternative explanations.

This was rather tedious. Interesting subject matter, but hardly a page turner.