Ergot: Transition from a feared poison to a valued component of the material medica in the early 19th century

Karen-Beth G. Scholthof
Plant Pathology & Microbiology, Texas A&M University

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     Last modified: June 14, 2005
     Presentation date: 07/14/2005 11:00 AM in ROZH 108
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Abstract
Ergot, a fungus (Claviceps purpurea), infects the grain of rye, wheat and other grasses. In New England, rye was preferred over wheat because it could thrive in cooler, wet conditions. Classically, ergot was a feared poison, the causal agent of “St. Anthony’s Fire”, being associated with hallucinations, gangrene, and death. In the first decades of the 19th century ergot made the transition to the medical realm when it was introduced as a powerful therapeutic for obstetrical practice. As a medicine ergot had the effect of ‘hastening labor’ and reducing postpartum hemorrhage. Its use by physicians also reflected a significant transition in practice: it avoided being ‘delayed’ at the bedside. Several events associated with the use of ergot in early 19th century medicine will be evaluated, as well as the sources of the raw drug and how a natural poison gained such rapid acceptance as a medicine.

Multiple Paper Session:
Other papers in this session:
The science of starvation: Anton de Bary and potato late blight
The USDA Barberry Eradication Program and the Growth of Applied Biology in the Early Twentieth Century