Why did children swallow needles?
Forty-one-year-old Elizabeth Proctor was the second wife of sixty-year-old John Proctor. John's first wife had borne him five children, while Elizabeth had borne six. Counting the one in her belly, there were twelve children altogether. She also had to study and teach the maids to read. All of that required a quiet environment, but when eleven children gathered together, the older ones inevitably bullied the younger ones, or one or two would be neglected. Then, while Elizabeth was not paying attention, they swallowed needles.
Swallowing needles was no small matter even in the twenty-first century, but people had X-rays and could see inside a child's body. Seventeenth-century people had no such technology. When a child swallowed a needle, surgery was basically the only option, and under the conditions of that era, it was extremely dangerous.
The children occupied Elizabeth's personal time and kept her from having a moment's peace, so naturally she became temperamental. Molly was often tormented to tears by the twins as well. Ministers naturally promoted the benefits of having many children, but they were not the ones watching them. Elizabeth alone could not manage the food, clothing, and daily lives of so many children.
Not every servant was honest and loyal. Thirteen was a very unlucky number. Jesus originally had only twelve disciples, but Judas betrayed him for thirty silver coins. Then people selected someone from among Jesus's disciples to replace Judas as an apostle, making thirteen disciples in all.
Sometimes, no matter how well masters treated their servants, the servants did not appreciate it. On the contrary, they might even let a wolf into the house. Servants and children knew many of a household's secrets, and servants showed loyalty to their masters by leaking those secrets.
During sermons, ministers advocated that