People can be very quick to judge what is normal and what isn't. This also applies to human behavior. It would be a thesis in itself to define the constraints and limits of normal behavior. For now, let's just ask ourselves this simple question: When is abnormal behavior excusable?

Follow up:

Lawyers and TV shows love to take us to the outer limits of making truly aberrant seem excusable. They throw around ideas like "temporary insanity", or "consumed by grief or emotional distress." We seem to embrace the idea that under extreme emotional duress or when adversely affected by side affects of medications seemingly out of our control that people can be excused for their actions. It's a way out - a 'get out of jail free' card we play to allow people moments of irrational thought and action. All in all, it's probably essential because even the most right-thinking level-headed person makes a mistake once in a while and you can't go throwing the baby out every time the bath water goes bad.

There's one group of people that never got this free pass to escape the repercussions of their certainly odd and perhaps dangerous behavior. I am, of course, referring to the witches who were burned at the stake to save humanity from their Evil. Our most celebrated case was the Salem Witchcraft Trials in Massachusetts. There is evidence that the strange behaviors attributed to the supposed witches were actually caused by fungal poisoning in the grains and cereals that were used as food. Having just come from studying the 16th century painting entitled "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" by Mathias Grünewald it is clear that this wasn't an isolated case.

Ergot contaminated grains cause a myriad of symptoms in people after they are ingested. Symptoms include seizures and spasms, hallucinations and mental effects including mania or psychosis, and eventually gangrene and death. These symptoms are also called Saint Anthony's Fire because the monks of Saint Anthony's order were successful in treating individuals who were poisoned with ergot.

I like to think in general that people should be held responsible for their actions but it seems right to not lay responsiblity upon those that aren't in their right mind through no fault of their own.

Your Wiki of the Week today is Ergotism. Enjoy!