What does ergotism mean?
Ergotism is a serious form of poisoning that results from eating grain — most famously rye — contaminated with ergot, the parasitic fungus Claviceps purpurea. The fungus produces potent alkaloids that affect the nervous system and blood vessels, giving rise to two classic forms: a convulsive type, marked by seizures, twitching, and terrifying hallucinations, and a gangrenous type, in which restricted blood flow causes the fingers, toes, and limbs to blacken and die. Historically known as 'St Anthony's Fire' because sufferers sought relief at the shrine of St Anthony, ergotism swept through medieval Europe in devastating epidemics when damp weather encouraged fungal growth on rye crops. Today the condition is rare thanks to modern grain inspection, though it remains a concern where food monitoring is poor. The word also carries scientific interest, as purified ergot alkaloids gave rise to medicines such as ergotamine, used against migraine.
nounA chronic or acute poisoning caused by consuming grains, especially rye, contaminated with the ergot fungus (Claviceps purpurea), producing symptoms such as convulsions, hallucinations, and gangrene of the extremities.
- Poisoning caused by ingestion of grain contaminated with alkaloids of the ergot fungus, marked either by convulsions and hallucinations (convulsive type) or by gangrene of the limbs (gangrenous type).
"Medieval outbreaks of ergotism, known as St Anthony's Fire, swept through villages whose rye harvest had been blighted by the fungus."
"Outbreaks of gangrenous ergotism were recorded across France after the wet rye harvests of the ninth century."
"Historians have suggested that convulsive ergotism may explain some of the strange behaviour reported at Salem in 1692."
Rarely used in the plural, since the condition is normally discussed as an uncountable noun; a plural may appear only when counting distinct clinical cases or historical outbreaks.
"Nineteenth-century medical texts catalogued several distinct regional ergotisms across rural Europe."
The 'dancing plagues' and witch-trial hallucinations of medieval Europe may have been fuelled not by demons but by ergot-contaminated rye bread — a fungus so toxic it literally made flesh rot.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ergotism
Ergotism derives from 'ergot', a seventeenth-century French term for the rooster's spur, applied to the dark, spur-shaped sclerotia of the fungus that protrude from rye heads; the suffix '-ism' was added to denote the diseased condition. The underlying root is the Old French 'ergot' or 'argot', of uncertain further origin. Cognate and derivative forms include 'ergot' itself, the drug names 'ergotamine' and 'ergosterol', and the adjective 'ergotic'. The disease has been recognized in European medical writing since at least the early modern period, long before its fungal cause was identified in the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How ergotism is actually used
A technical term used mainly in medicine, toxicology, and historical writing; unfamiliar to most lay speakers. The historic name 'St Anthony's Fire' is often encountered alongside it in discussions of medieval epidemics.
Easily confused with ergotism
Egotism means excessive self-centredness, while ergotism is a form of poisoning caused by the ergot fungus.
Ergot is the parasitic fungus itself (or its sclerotium), whereas ergotism is the disease produced by ingesting it.