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Killer in the rye: St. Anthony's fire
Signs of St. Anthony’s fire were easy to see: seizures, hallucinations, and blackened limbs. Medieval Europeans believed its cause to be spiritual, but the true cause was far more earthly.
Peter Bruegel the Elder painted "The Beggars" in 1568. The figures in this detail may depict survivors of St. Anthony's fire. Oil on wood, Louvre Museum, Paris
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