Salem Witch Trials - June Bug Epidemic

 Many cases of mass hysteria have been reported since the Salem Witch Trials, and all share common characteristics. One example is the June Bug Epidemic in 1962: a disease that broke out in a United States textile factory. The Salem Witch Trials compare to the June Bug Epidemic in the way that they both include ill people. During the Salem Witch Trials, John Proctor says the children "...were startled and took sick..." after they were spotted in the woods, and during the June Bug Epidemic, people vomited and became nauseous, dizzy, and numb after they were bit by the bug (Miller 68). The people of Salem convinced themselves their lies were real when Abigail announces she "...saw Sarah Good with the Devil..." , "...saw Goody Osburn with the Devil..." , and "...saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil" (Miller 48). This convinced almost everyone that witches were real because someone said they "saw" a friend with the devil. The victims of the June Bug Epidemic convinced themselves their lies were real when their "illness" was so bad that they had to go to the hospital. Why both of these people convinced themselves their lies were real, is truly unknown. Mostly, they did it for the attention, but to think that they took it so far as to people being hanged in Salem, and people being hospitalized during the June Bug Epidemic seems astonishing. People are subject to mass hysteria because they are uneducated, they want to be the center of attention, or they are simply bored and want to cause trouble.

(http://www.eattheweeds.com/bug-a-boos-or-grubs-up/)

(http://listverse.com/2009/03/16/top-10-bizarre-cases-of-mass-hysteria/)

 

Sources: Frater, Jamie. "Top 10 Bizarre Cases of Mass Hysteria." (2009): n. page. Print. <http://listverse.com/2009/03/16/top-10-bizarre-cases-of-mass-hysteria/>.