Ergot Poisoning In Pont-Saint-Esprit
On August 16, 1951, over 250 residents of a small French village were overcome with hallucinations and madness. This resulted in 50 people being sent to asylums and seven deaths. Authorities claimed it was a mass food poisoning event caused by a food-borne illness, most likely ergot poisoning of rye bread, a type of psychedelic fungus (Claviceps purpurea) that can naturally occur in rye.
When eaten, the alkaloids produced by the fungus can cause hallucinogenic effects. Some threw themselves out windows. Others began injuring themselves by trying to claw and cut out insects they believed were inside their bodies. People were put into straight jackets and chained to beds.
The explanation that may make the most sense is the townpeople were deliberately dosed with a hallucinogenic substance…LSD. It is still unknown what led to these events, but author Hank Albarelli suggests the CIA was behind the Pont-Saint-Esprit incident.
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