Carlson claims that the infamous events that created the outbreak of witchcraft hysteria in Salem match the physical and neurological symptoms exhibited by the town's residents. However, Carlson's argument lacks conviction as she fails to explain why other family members and other related communities were not affected by the epidemic. If it had truly been an epidemic, the inexplicable symptoms would have spread throughout the population and even the world, affecting millions of people. Epidemics put the entire human population at risk, not just select groups of people. Furthermore, most of the accused were women, which does not explain why an epidemic would only affect women and not also the male population. Trying to attribute hysteria to an epidemic seems a little too simplistic. Furthermore, Carlson's argument does not explain why witchcraft hysteria faded as economic conditions improved. As socioeconomic conditions and tensions improved, accusations of witchcraft seemed to fade. Therefore, in Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft, Boyer and