During the 16th and 17th centuries, there was the widespread belief that the devil caused an ugly sign, when he was par with a witch's hair, the devil's poem or "stigma diabolicum". This devil mark could be applied anywhere on the suspect's body. One looked at the right shoulder, on the calf of the right leg or on the thighs near the femininity. Each mother's patch, wart, skin deformation or staining, each scar was considered suspicious.
To find out if it was a devil's sign, the suspect had to undergo the prank test. The robbery (or surgeon or doctor) stabbed a long needle, priem or scissors in each of the suspicious body spots. If there was no blood or if the suspect felt no pain, it was a devil's sign. For the judges, this was a clue: the interrogation of torture was then highly legitimate.
Individuals who underwent this trial: Tanneke Sconyncx (Gottem, 1603), Elisabeth de Bode (Heestert, 1659), Pieter Gheldolf (Mesen, 1660)
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