William Griggs

What matters historically is not only what caused the first fits, it's what the adults decided that those fits meant.

The local physician, traditionally identified as Dr. William Griggs, could find no ordinary physical explanation.

According to later accounts, he suggested that the girls were under the spell of an evil hand.

In other words, they might be bewitched.

"I cannot express the misery I was in, for my water was suddenly stopped, and I had no benefit of nature, but was like a man on a rack." He told his wife, "I am afraid that Willard has done me wrong." Meanwhile, in Salem Village, Daniel Wilkins had also fallen ill.

Dr. William Griggs, who was attending young Daniel, apparently affirmed that his sickness was some preternatural cause and would make no application of any physics.

Mercy Lewis, who was also there, affirmed that she saw the apparition of John Willard afflicting Daniel.

Quickly afterwards, Ann Putnam Jr. claimed she had also seen the same apparition attacking Daniel.

Yeah, holding their breath until they turn blue.

So the local doctor, William Griggs, is called in.

Right, and he examines the children and- Can't find a natural biological cause, and suggests they might be under the evil hand.

Okay, we have to pause on that medical diagnosis because to a modern listener, a doctor prescribing witchcraft sounds absolutely absurd.

It really does.

But what's fascinating here is that in the seventeenth century medical paradigm, this was a legitimate recognized diagnostic category.

No, it was the accepted science of the invisible world.

That is wild.

The litany of odd behavior also mirrored that of the children of a Boston family who, in 1688, were believed to have been bewitched, a description of which had been provided by congregational minister Cotton Mather in his book, Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions, and which may have been known by the girls in Salem Village.

In February, unable to account for their behavior medically, the local doctor, William Griggs, put the blame on the supernatural.

In February 1692, a well-meaning neighbor named Mary Sibley suggested baking a witch cake made with the urine of victims.

[gags] [laughs]

Puritans believed that the invisible effluvia, which is evil rays of magic, flowing from the witch into the victim would be sucked back into the witch's body upon physical contact.

If the girl instantly stopped fitting and became calm the moment the accused touched her, it was taken as absolute proof of guilt.

The court appointed juries of the same sex, y- which is usually groups of midwives or doctors, to strip the accused naked and search their bodies in a cold room for witch marks.

Yeah, so let's-

Reverend Samuel Parris.

Also on the stand this morning, we heard Dr. William Griggs, village physician, testify that a number of his patients had been bewitched.

Dr. Griggs, you said that you yourself had seen evidence of their unnatural affliction.

I saw the minister's, the Reverend Mr. Parris', own niece try to fly up the chimney.

So these children started suffering from fits, which included violent contortions of their bodies, outbursts of screaming.

Now, it didn't take very long for the Parris family to reach out to a local doctor, William Griggs, and they asked him what was happening to these girls.

So after checking them over, Griggs diagnosed Abigail and Elizabeth with bewitchment.

So bewitchment at that time was not a normal medical diagnosis, and it still isn't.

It's just a belief system that the symptoms the girls were suffering was caused by the supernatural.

Was the doctor from the Salem town? Do you know?

Yes.

Now, after Dr. Griggs told the Parris family, okay, obviously, now it started to spread.