The book tells the true and tragic case of a French village suffering the effects of ergot poisoning, not in the Middle Ages, but in 1951. It builds very slowly at first as the author introduces you to the people of Pont-Saint-Esprit, a small village in the south of France. The author takes the time to gave you a feel of the place and time. Only then does he begin to follow the path of the suspicious, grayish flour as it's baked into innocent looking bread. Then he takes you through the harrowing days as the mutant ergot works its strange effects on people.
To be blunt, about 150 people go on an acid trip that doesn't stop for almost three weeks.
At a time when LSD was only a laboratory accident, the people of Pont-Saint-Esprit under went what in medieval times was called "the fire of St. Anthony". Centuries ago, whole villages were swept up in a strange, religious fever and many people suffered from strange visions. Now, in the 20th century, it happened again. No one slept for days, most people walked about in a beatific haze, although some were straddled with strange compulsions and delusions. The worst cases went psychotic - screaming about the tigers that were eating them alive, or about the balls of fire shooting towards them. A few really believed they could fly and jumped out of second story windows trying to prove it.
It's also the story of the villagers trying to cope with the insanity that scorched their families, friends and themselves. It tells of the local doctors, afflicted with the ailment themselves who tried to treat those much worse off. It is also the story of a medical search for the culprit which was hampered by ignorance of the ergot and its effects. Lastly, it tells of a tragic miscarriage of justice when the victims tried to get compensation for their sufferings.
The author interviewed a great number of the victims who survived the ordeal and from their stories he weaves his tale. Here was a village burning with an unknown ailment and struggling to keep working and living. As they wrestled with sleeplessness, strange or terrifying visions, and sometimes violent compulsions, they kept hold of family and friends. In the end sleep came, the hallucinations ceased, and the violent grew calm and were released from their straightjackets.
Although a little slow-moving at the beginning, it is an interesting and moving story. Look for it your larger libraries. I got my copy when a school library was "cleaning house."
(Review copyright 1998 by J.C. James)