Myself, I'd go for the ergot theory. The medication I'm prescribed for the
migraines is based on caffeine and a refined ergotamine, and the dreams I have
after taking the concoction are to say the least supernatural. The theory runs
that as regulars in the Middle Ages so often subsisted on rye bread, and since
rye grain and flour are so readily contaminated with the ergot fungus, the
religious suffered regularly (!) from ergot poisoning and perhaps experienced
their "visions" as a result.
John Parsons
On Tue, 29 Dec 1998, John Shinners wrote:
> I hate to be a reductionist, but my first thought was that St.
> Hildegard of Bingen would be a likely patroness against migraine.
> According to Oliver Sacks, the "radiant luminosity" and other features of
> her vivid mystical visions leave "no room for doubt concerning their
> nature: they were indisputably migrainous." This from a short,
> provocative chapter in his fascinating _Man Who Mistook His Wife For A
> Hat_.
> John Shinners
>
> --
> John R. Shinners e-mail: [log in to unmask]
> Associate Professor Phone (office): (219) 284-4494
> Humanistic Studies Program Phone (dept.): (219) 284-4485
> Saint Mary's College Fax: (219) 284-4716
> Notre Dame, IN 46556
>
>
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