DISGUISED AS THE DEVIL: HOW LYME DISEASE CREATED WITCHES AND CHANGED HISTORY

De: M. M. Drymon

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

REVIEWS "A tour de force of research and scholarship" " The definitive prequel to "Cure Unknown" showing that Lyme disease has been around for a long time and its victims have been badly treated over the centuries!"THE SENTRY "every now and then a literary work comes along that really grabs my attention and gets me fired up enough to write about it. "Disguised As The Devil: How Lyme Disease Created Witches And Changed History" by M.M. Drymon is one of those books.And before I reached the end of the book, I found myself nodding in agreement with many of the passages, caught up in the author's hypothesis and meticulous research. Most modern academics believe that there was no biological factor behind the "witches" of the colonial time period. They ascribe to the notion that these people were motivated to such behavior by social factors such as spite, a need for attention, hysteria, or a psychosomatic disorder. In other words, even to this very day, people are still accusing these "witches" of "faking it." That is an accusation that almost every Lyme sufferer has heard at least once! Indeed, many have made the comparison that the persecution against present-day Lyme patients and their doctors is akin to a modern-day "witch hunt".... Drymon does not jump to conclusions but uses every possible historical record available, including some rather unconventional ones, to ferret out the facts. "Disguised As The Devil" is not a conspiracy-theory laden book, nor filled with the histrionics of the angry and desperately ill. Quite the opposite, in fact, the author lays out the hypothesis and evidence in a very rational and analytical manner. I was extremely impressed by the exhaustive research and copious citations and references from a huge variety of sources, some of which were first-hand witness accounts.Drymon discusses the cultural habits and beliefs of the time, the geography, climate, politics, and other influential factors in their social context. She seems to anticipate every question that readers might come up with (Why were so many more women affected than men? Why were they often depicted as old hags?) and uses the same calm logic to answer those questions.Drymon discusses the cultural habits and beliefs of the time, the geography, climate, politics, and other influential factors in their social context.Additionally, all Lyme disease aspects aside, I learned more about the witch trials from this single book than I ever did in all my school classes. While we may never know for certain what afflictions or behaviors led to the witch trials, it certainly seems that Ms. Drymon has uncovered a very striking possibility.---PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT DESCRIPTION This work began as a history of Lyme disease. Looking in the historical records for places where this disease might have occurred in the past, the author kept finding descriptions of witchcraft afflictions. Was there a connection between Lyme disease and the European concept of the witch? Looking back, into a past that is abound with oak trees, acorns, deer, pigs, and other animals, humans can be found creating and participating in cultural practices that had environmental ramifications. Drawing upon the latest in scientific and historical research, this work will become essential reading for those interested in Lyme disease, including the modern controversies surrounding it as a disease in disguise. It also explores the environmental context for the European witch and tells a compelling tale about the timeless importance of the interaction between humanity and the invisible world of bacteria.