It may have been more common than we'd always thought but one has to wonder if they were following a 'leader' with so many in this time span. It would have caused the planters to be more diligent but in some cases maybe an illness wasn't from 'food poisoning' with bacteria but real food poisoning. How would they know to use the mercury from a mirror I wonder?

You have really been uncovering some interesting stuff and it does help give us a better read on just how people in that time frame were seeing things.

Pam