Here are some articles I found about the scientific
explanations for lycanthropy...
Scientists hunt down the "wolf man" gene
Lycanthropy Genetics
"Scientists have pinpointed the gene responsible for "Werewolf" syndrome, an extremely rare genetic condition in which patients are covered in dense hair.
"A team from Texas, which studied a family of Mexicans suffering from congenital generalized hypertrichosis, say that the precise identification of the gene could provide useful information about the normal distribution of human hair, and could eventually have significant application in the treatment of baldness.
"Many of the victims of the condition have spent their lives performing in circuses. Four years ago, two Mexican boys aged 9 and 14 were banned from appearing in a circus in Blackpool after protests from child welfare groups.
"There have been only about 50 known cases since the Middle ages. The scientists report in "Nature genetics" that they have isolated the gene responsible to the X chromosome. Members of the Mexican family volunteered to provide tissue samples, from which the rough position of the gene was identified."
Another cause of lycanthropic disorders was hallucinations.
Mainly due to a fungus called Ergot:
Ergot [Claviceps purpurea] is a parasitic fungus that can be found growing
on rye or other cereal grasses. Rye grass is by far the most widespread
species parasitized, though wheat and barley are also commonly affected.
The 'ergots' appear as a blackish-purple club-shaped growth [sclerotia]
on the tops of the rye where the seeds are, and are referred to as "heads
of ergot"; from these heads sprout the Claviceps purpurea fungal fruiting
bodies. They have long stems with bulbous heads when seen under a strong
glass or microscope. (See reference [1] for more information.)
Ergot naturally produces a wide range of chemical compounds, the ones of relevance here are collectively known as the "Ergot Alkaloids", and include ergotamine, ergosine and beta-ergosine, ergonine, ergovaline, ergostine, ergotine and beta-ergotine, ergocornine, ergocristine, ergocryptine and beta-ergocryptine. These compounds all have some degree of psychoactivity; indeed LSD was first synthesized from ergot compounds. Their other major medical effect is vasoconstriction [narrowing of blood vessels], which, if severe, can lead to gangrene of the extremities.
Ergotamine has medical uses; for example it is frequently prescribed [often in combination with caffeine] as a therapy for migraine headaches.
Ergot was a widespread parasite of cereal grains in Europe in the middle-ages, growing particularly well during excessively damp summers. The psychoactive components of ergot are *not* broken down by heat, so it is fair to assume that they would be present in bread baked from flour milled from ergotized grains. There was a significant outbreak of ergot-poisoning in France in the early 1950's; this outbreak gives a good insight into what may have been experienced in medieval times.
Symptoms of ergot poisoning include hallucinations [the 1950's French
victims reported 'being chased or attacked by horrible beasts', 'terror
of the dark', and 'feeling that my body was not mine'] together with tingling/burning
sensations in the extremities & the scalp. These tingling sensations
were known in medieval times as "St. Anthony's Fire", after the saint to
whom sufferers prayed for relief.
Medeival Wolf by the Dark Wolf
Stories of Fear by the Dark Wolf
Modern Werewolves by the Dark Wolf
West Wing Calliope's Private Chambers
East Wing Torture Chamber, Prison
