1. By Dan Holbrook

2. The Irish Potato Famine  One cause was the potato blight  Phytophthora infestans  Water mold  Can also affect tomatoes

3. Famine Continued Why  Summer of 1845  Damp and Chilly  Continued on after 1845  Over three million people dependant on potato crop

4. Famine Continued Results  1845 forty percent of crop destroyed  1846 ninety percent  One million deaths  One million leave  Population of Ireland at the time was eight million

5. The Salem Witch Trials  Ergot poisoning  Grows on rye and other similar plants  Causes LCD symptoms  Symptoms match those affected

6. Salem Continued Record Matches  Linnda Caporael  Journals tell of warm rainy summer  Those affected live near swamps  Land records show affected owned large fields

7. Salem Continued Symptoms  Muscle Contractions  Affects central nervous system  Causes hallucinations  LSD derived from ergot

8. Penicillin Penicillin  Penicillium sp.  Fungus  Alexander Fleming 1928  Accident

9. Penicillin Continued Impact  Widely used antibiotics (WWII)  End of disease?  Over 200 trillion units used by 1950  Resistant strains  Help for future use  Still used today

10. "Ergot Poisoning (LSD) - the Cause of the Salem Witch Trials - PBS Secrets of the Dead." Hiawatha Broadband Communications, Inc. | Office Numbers: Winona 507.474.4000 St. Charles 507.932.8000 Wabasha 651.560.4000 Toll Free 888.474.9995. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.. Henahan, By Sean. "GREAT FAMINE." Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.. Money, Nicholas P. Triumph of the Fungi: A Rotten History. New York: Oxford UP, 2006. Saeed, Sheikh Arshad. "Penicillin." Penicillin. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.. Wainwright, M. "Penicillin: Triumph and Tragedy." Social History of Medicine 20.3 (2007): 615-17.