If you happened to reside in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692-93, being a witch (or simply being accused of being one) was bad for your health. You would be tried and, if found guilty, imprisoned and/or executed.

Over the course of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, which ran for 15 months, 19 persons were hanged and one killed by torture. Five died in prison awaiting trial, while 150 others awaited their day in court.

What constituted evidence that the accused was a witch?

1. They were female.

2. They could not support themselves financially.

3. Conversely, they were financially independent. (No man needed.)

4. They had one or more female friends.

5. They had had an argument with one or more female friends.

6. They had had a disagreement with someone. (Anyone could accuse anyone of being a witch.)

7. They were old.

8. They were very young.

9. They were good at healing others.

10. They were married with too few or no children.

11. Their neighbors had trouble conceiving.

12. They exhibited stubborn, strange or "forward" behaviors.

13. They had an offending mole, birthmark or third nipple.

14. Butter or milk reportedly spoiled in their homes.

15. They had sex out of wedlock.

16. They speculated on the identity of future husbands.

17. They broke at least one rule in the Bible, thus indicating a pact with the devil.

Body of Knowledge

Some babies are born with teeth, and not everyone loses their baby teeth. Tumors called teratomas can grow teeth (and hair). Wisdom teeth are slowly evolving into oblivion. Once needed to chew our predecessors' tough, fibrous diet, they are disappearing. Roughly 35% of people today are born without wisdom teeth.

Get Me That, Stat!

Average carbohydrate intake, as a percentage of total energy consumption, is declining among Americans, down to 46.7%. Protein intake is up slightly to 15.8%. Fat intake is rising, up to 35.8%, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Doc Talk

Hyperesthesia — increased sensitivity to touch, typically heightened pain. The opposite is hypoesthesia, characterized by decreased sensation or numbness.

Mania of the Week

Typomania — an abnormal enthusiasm for being published or writing for publication (Not relevant here; this is considered a public service!)

Best Medicine

Q: What do you call a doctor who treats stomach bugs?

A: A gastroentomologist.

Observation

"As you get older three things happen. The first your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two." — Knighted English actor and comedian Sir Norman Wisdom (1915-2010)

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases such as "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, and yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's an actual title of actual published research study: "The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of 'Writer's Block.'"

Published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, author Dennis Upper's entire ruminations follow:

Med School

Q: What are electrolytes?

A: Electrolyte is a catchall term for substances that assist biological processes, including chemical reactions and fluid balance. They get their name for their positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water. Those charges contract muscles and control hydration levels.

Sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride, phosphate and bicarbonate are all considered to be electrolytes. Too much or too little of each can prompt a reaction from your body, including weakness, muscle contractions, fatigue or confusion.

Curtain Calls

Twenty-year-old Stanton Walker was watching an amateur baseball game in 1902 in Morristown, Ohio, with a friend on either side of him. One of the friends borrowed a knife from the other to sharpen his pencil as he was keeping score. When he finished, he passed the knife to Walker to pass along to the other friend.

As Walker was holding the knife, a foul ball struck him in the hand and drove the knife into his chest next to his heart. His friends asked if he was hurt and Walker replied, "Not much." However, the wound began to bleed profusely, and Walker died minutes later.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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