Hospital study shows full moon's werewolf effect

[denem]

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

A study in an Australian hospital has identified a spike in out-of-control "werewolf" patients when a full moon is out.

There were 91 emergency patients rated as having violent and acute behavioral disturbance at the Calvary Mater Newcastle hospital from August 2008 to July 2009.

Leonie Calver, a clinical research nurse in toxicology, said almost a quarter of the cases (23 per cent) occurred on a night of full moon and this was double the number for other lunar phases.

The patients all had to be sedated and physically restrained to protect themselves and others. "Some of these patients attacked the staff like animals - biting, spitting and scratching," Ms Calver said.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/hospital-study-shows-full-moons-werewolf-effect-20091213-kpwl.html

---

"The research is published in the pre-Christmas edition of the Medical Journal of Australia."

Right on time.

But, even taking account the tiny sample, of a rare occurrence, (91 people) for 8/2008 - 7/2009, the collected data, showing these acutely violent disturbed persons were 10x more likely to present on the night of a full moon, is statistically significant.

[Bicoastal]

1. Awooooooooooooooo

[HowHasItComeToThis]

7. PUT ANOTHER SHRIMP ON THE BARBIE FOR THEM

[CatholicEdHead]

2. They could not have published this in the Haloween edition?

;)

[DJ13]

5. No, they wanted to wait until the latest Full Moon movie sales slowed

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Other studies of crime statistics show no full-moon effect

So I'm assuming this one has a flaw in the design. Or it could be an artifact of the small sample size.

[denem]

6. There aren't many werewoves out there.

The number is tiny - totally out of control people who have lost the power of speech.

[1monster]

9. Anecdotal evidence from ambulance drivers and law enforcement offiers has

often pointed to at least a casual link between full moons, accidents, and acts of violence. Of course, Anecdotal evidence does not make a scientific study; however, it might make a starting basis for a much broader study than outlined in this story.

[Historic NY]

If someone was really interested in data collection...get the police blotters.

The nuts do come out.

[ebayfool]

47. Ask a bartender ... sure seemed like the customers felt it to me (back when!).

More anecdotal evidence from a former bartender. Gave it up when I got to where I had to have a couple shots before showtime just to stand the customers!

[lildreamer316]

75. Try being an exotic entertainer.

Oh my god. I just stopped going in to work on those evenings.

[AlbertCat]

12. So I'm assuming this one has a flaw in the design. Or it could be an artifact of the small sample si

Or just complete crap.

[denem]

15. The Australian Medical Journal is highly respected.

The numbers are small but significant: Presentations for acute violent psychosis, where the persons are beyond speech.

[1monster]

4. Hence, the term LUNATIC.

Luna from the latin word for moon.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

8. or MOONIES

[1monster]

11. Well, isn't it a prerequisite to be a loonie before you can be a Moonie?

[Bette Noir]

10. "Pre-Christmas edition"? Howzabout April 1 edition?

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Also in that section:

Fast versus slow bandaid removal: a randomised trial

radio-opacity of commonly consumed fish species in South East Queensland on lateral neck x-ray: an ovine model

I think these are their entrants for next year's IgNobel Prizes.

[laughingliberal]

27. So, we could argue the bandaid study might be frivolous but determining the radio-opacity of fish

bones did lead to a conclusion that X-ray is of limited value with ingestion of certain types of fish bones and CT would be indicated. See, if it's the bone of one of those fish which is suspected of being lodged in the trachea the X-ray is useless. Points to wise use of resources.

[denem]

13. Nixon was elected on the night of a full moon: Tues, Nov 5, 1969.

The only full moon election of the 20th century.

[stevedeshazer]

19. 1968, but, hey.

Point taken.

[denem]

21. 1968 - Tues, Nov 5 was the FULL MOON night. Damn Typo.

[Guilded Lilly]

16. Just for a sense of FUN...

A helluva a lot of people are affected by their daily horoscopes! The alignment of Sun-Moon-Stars has LONG been an indicator of astrological personalities. And millionsssss are quite tuned in to their *signs*. (I am eerily spot-on when it comes to my sign and in fact my magic "number"~grin~ as much as I fight it!And low and behold, I happen to be a Moon child Cancer~go figure))The how and why could just be massive coincidence, the power of folklore suggestion, vivid imaginations or there could be something ...dare I say? GASP...mystical ;). The universe is a BIGGGG place!

Why not affected by the Moon? Lady Moon, of course. La luna! And of course the werewolf, wolf man has ALWAYS been my favorite black and white movie monster. Sooo sad, so tragic. Vampires just don't do a damn thing for me. Bring me those warm blooded fuzzy monsters every time.

And wolves. Is there a more beautiful or romantic four-legged creature in nature? (OK maybe a Tiger but we don't have them around as much) Mom Nature has a verrrrry interesting blend of harsh reality and dreamy romanticism. Scary and comforting at the same time.

SO maybe, just maybe, when people see the vision of that big ball of reflected light in the sky at night and it casts her splendid midnight spotlight of the sky, playing with our tides, people think of things that might just make them a little more daring...or in the extreme...crazy. They have more natural light to do it in anyway.

just saying for a sense of FUN.

Lilly

[havocmom]

28. Used to work in an institution for the profoundly developmentally disabled

Worked in the non-amb children's ward. Lots of conditions besides really serious mental retardation in that group. Lots of very serious medical problems, LOTS of seizure conditions.

Incidence of seizure ALWAYS went up and seizures more sever during the full moon. Trust me, these patients didn't know what the moon was. Most could not see, many could not hear. None functioned well enough to be influenced by anything but how they felt.

I looked through years and years of daily records and the seizure activity always spiked during full moon.

[Guilded Lilly]

31. Setting aside any sense of fun...

Yes. I believe you totally.

I am a firm believer in the power of the stars and the moon. I have heard enough over my years to wholely embrace that the universe can control and affect us in ways our scientists will never begin to explain or understand. It is just simply bigger than all of us. More powerful than anyone can imagine.

And we would be pretty simplistically arrogant to assume that the moon doesn't have its special effects.

[havocmom]

39. It was not a formal study to prove anything. It was research to help the boss with staffing

We thought we were dealing with more seizures at certain times and it was a staffing problem. We decided to look for long term patterns and see if it bore out. Yep, and we adjusting staffing a bit; more on during full moons when things seemed to go bonkers.

As mentioned, the patients were not aware of much at all, so power of suggestion seemed not a likely trigger.

It was interesting, and notes left when the National Guard had to run the place for 6 weeks indicated some observant people with the unit that ran childrens' non-amb noticed the pattern of seizures right off. A couple of the Guardsmen left poems the 'kids' inspired. Most left the place telling us no matter what raise we got at strike's end, we were not paid enough. It's a tough gig.

[Guilded Lilly]

42. I don't envy that gig for several reasons

and I commend you and everyone who can work for those children and with that environment.

Even with science' attempt to prove otherwise there are things "beyond" what can be clearly factual. That which cannot be explained often scares us and of course would be easier to handle if it could be rationally proven-away.

I rather prefer believing in something that goes beyond the *debunkable*.
:)

[kestrel91316]

17. We notice a distinct spike in bizarre client behavior and weird phone calls

around the full moon. November was particularly notable. My assistant and I walked around saying WTF? WTF? WTF? for the better part of 3 days. And then it stopped as suddenly as it started.

Friends in human medicine have reported the same thing to me.

[Sal Minella]

20. I worked with surgery residents in a hospital and when the new Emergency Room

call schedule came out each month, the residents clustered around to see who had to staff the E.R. during full moon days.

The psychiatric aberrations blossomed forth during full moon days and nights.

[Dr.Phool]

18. I just sit around and lick my balls during a full moon.

[WheelWalker]

57. +1

[silverweb]

22. Makes sense.

This confirms the view that most myths have at least some basis in fact, and it doesn't take a large population sample to spawn a myth.

[caseymoz]

23. It could simply be that some people think they're less in control on the full moon.

Sort of a negative placebo effect.

[Jackpine Radical]

25. How many people actually know what the moon phase is at any given time?

I generally do, but then I'm an old pagan at heart. I don't think most people could tell you, unless they're cops, hospital workers, etc., who have learned to use the moon as a predictor of human craziness.

[caseymoz]

34. In urban and most suburbs I wouldn't expect it.

But I imagine in rural areas people are well aware of it.

Plus, those most interested in it would of course be aware of it.

[havocmom]

29. Please see my reply #28

No placebo effect possible where I was working.

[caseymoz]

33. You looked for years and years of records to determine this?

And put it into a spreadsheet, and graphed it? They gave you access to all these records of patients? Are you a credentialed scientist?

Or is it that here you just overstated your case?

Please, I'm not trying to be a jerk here. I don't deny that there might be a correlation, but before it is attributed to yet to be discovered reasons, or attributed to no reason we can know, we should eliminate the ones we know about that might cause it.

This was a very small study so I tend to be careful, but believe me, I'm all for it. Discovering that there might be some truth to the werewolf myths would make the world a little less boring

[havocmom]

37. Just needed time and a moon calendar

Yep
edited to add:
And as I said, I worked there, so yeah, I had access to the daily notes on patients going back to about when they came in, which for these youngsters was mostly right after birth.

Didn't need a spreadsheet or graphs, just a notepad to jot down what dates showed most seizure activity each month for the kids. Then, look at a moon chart for multi years. Not all that hard.

[caseymoz]

48. First, I know that medical records aren't available to everyone.

So, what level were you at that you were allowed to do this?

I tend to think that if it were that easily recognizable that you could take out a notepad and demonstrate it, it would be regarded as a fact, not a conjecture, and we wouldn't be having this argument now at all.

[havocmom]

51. We used the information to tweak staffing

And since you are gonna dismiss my observation, I fret not to impress you with facts. It was all practical and the daily reports, which included all reports of seizures were right there in each file, for any of the staff to look over. My boss was curious if it was just her slanted view re the full moon or if there was something there. We were sure busy taking care of seizures once a month. Many staff mentioned it over a long period of time and she and I were curious.

I didn't do it to write a thesis. I was just a habilitation aid who paid attention and was curious. And I was lucky enough to have a boss who was observant AND had an open mind. Sorry that I failed you so horribly. LOL LOTS of staffs of lots of institutions notice the moon effects, but my particular charges were not bloody likely to have been influenced by suggestion, so it was rather interesting for me when I looked at the dailies.

"Data" starts with observation. Yet observation by people is so oft dismissed. Good science requires proof via repeatable, verifiable results, I get that. But good science starts with " I wonder...." followed by the curiosity and will to observe.

[caseymoz]

54. Okay so it's there. What is it?

It can't be accounted for by moonbeams or gravity.

I realize that science starts with the observation and curiosity, but anything as recognizable as you say from something so simple and widespread would be beyond that point by now. Unless the data has already been looked at, statistically tested, and dismissed, and it seems to me scientists since Newton have had a lot of time to take data on it. And there are things scientists can't explain which which they do not ignore or dismiss, so let's not bring that into it.

[havocmom]

67. Don't know, but know it happened

Like the guy who guessed about germs...

[Guilded Lilly]

38. Which could

make the phases of the moon very real to them, therefore, the moon DOES have something to do with people's actions.

And that is something that science cannot define: the power of peoples' thoughts.

And interesting circle :) or...cycle!

[Jackpine Radical]

24. I worked on a psych ward & in long-term psych institutional settings in the 80's

& early 90's. In every one of those places, most or all of the staff believed in the "full moon effect." The psych hospital tended to get more admissions & the behavior problems of the residents on the long-term units spiked around the full moon.

[Jackpine Radical]

26. A bit more on the Full Moon Effect…

http://www.innerself.com/Astrology/full_moon.htm

Can the Full Moon
Affect Human Behavior?

by John Townley


MURDER TIDES

At the University of Miami, psychologist Arnold Lieber and his colleagues decided to test the old belief of full-moon “lunacy” which most scientists had written off as an old wives’ tale. The researchers collected data on homicide in Dade County (Miami) over a period of 15 years — 1,887 murders, to be exact. When they matched the incidence of homicide with the phases of the moon, they found, much to their surprise, that the two rose and fell together, almost infallibly, for the entire 15 years! As the full or the new moon approached, the murder rate rose sharply; it distinctly declined during the first and last quarters of the moon.

To find out whether this was just a statistical fluke, the researchers repeated the experiment using murder data from Cuyahoga County in Ohio (Cleveland). Again, the statistics showed that more murders do indeed occur at the full and new moons.

Dr. Lieber and his colleagues shouldn’t have been so surprised. An earlier report by the American Institute of Medical Climatology to the Philadelphia Police Department entitled “The Effect of the Full Moon on Human Behavior” found similar results. That report showed that the full moon marks a monthly peak in various kinds of psychotically oriented crimes such as murder, arson, dangerous driving, and kleptomania. People do seem to get a little bit crazier about that time of the month.

That’s something most police and hospital workers have known for a long time. Indeed, back in eighteenth-century England, a murderer could plead “lunacy” if the crime was committed during the full moon and get a lighter sentence as a result. Scientists, however, like to have a hard physical model to explain their discoveries, and so far there isn’t a fully accepted one. Dr. Lieber speculates that perhaps the human body, which, like the surface of the earth, is composed of almost 80 percent water, experiences some kind of “biological tides” that affect the emotions. When a person is already on psychologically shaky ground, such a biological tide can push him or her over the edge.

[laughingliberal]

30. Thanks for posting this. Very interesting. nt

[Guilded Lilly]

32. Moon and tides

I know that much research has pointed to the difference between *bounded* water of the human body and *unbounded* water of the ocean in claiming that the Moon doesn't have enough of a pull during the tides to effect humans. I just think that research is wrong.

Statistics tell a very convincing tale. Old wives or not, if we can be affected so deeply by a single virus cell...how could we not be affected by something that changes the shifting of the surface water of our planet?

[DavidDvorkin]

35. The "full moon effect" has been debunked many times

Here's a Wikipedia article with useful URLs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_effect

I'm sure a flaw will be found in this study. Give it time.

[havocmom]

40. LOL debunk away, but people have observed a lot of things

My experiences with severely retarded children and all the records leave me with the feeling that something goes on with a lot of people

[DavidDvorkin]

43. So subjective impressions are more important than science?

[denem]

44. See #41.

[DavidDvorkin]

49. So anecdotes, subjective impressions, and ad hominem arguments count the most

Got it.

[denem]

50. No. Science, published in fringe journals, or paperbacks,

hardly supports the broad brush statements you have made. It is not an ad hominem attack to say that climate change studies funded by Exxon can be less than reliable. In this case, the authors have expressed an strong, open, pre-existing opinions. That's a unarguable fact.

They did not find errors in over half the studies purporting to show correlation between the phases of the moon and human behavior, but produced a meta-analysis concluding there was none. A meta analysis depends crucially on architecture and weighting, and is at best, less than purely objective.

So, your view = "It's all been debunked, I'll wait until this one is" is a bias. Even the sources you cited did not debunk all the studies. Don't try to plead 'it's science pure science' on this one.

[havocmom]

66. Thank you. Some 'science' is as dangerously fundamentalist as some religion

They never want to admit just how recently the learned men of science discredited the concept of germs. Guess something doesn't exist UNTIL science has the means to see it. THEN it becomes real! ;)

[havocmom]

65. Did I say that? No, I did not. Observation, however, is where science starts

Or do scientists just grope in blindness?

[The abyss]

55. Havocmom – Thanks for your experience and adding to this discussion!

May I ask a question?

Did you happen to be working at an institution in Pennsylvania?

[havocmom]

64. Never been east of Jefferson City, MO

:hi:

[The abyss]

68. Back at ya

:hi:

[denem]

41. "Debunked"? By a Paranormal Sckeptics?

With all due respect, they have their own agenda.

Form the link you posted

Psychologist Ivan Kelly of the University of Saskatchewan (with James Rotton and Roger Culver) Skeptical Inquirer (1986) 10 (2): 129-43.

also checked twenty-three studies that had claimed to show correlation, and nearly half of these contained at least one statistical error.

So half were sound, maybe outliers, maybe not.

The conclusion is "scientific data "supports the view that there is no causal relationship between lunar phenomena and human behavior"

The citation:

"Diefendorf, David (2007), Amazing... But false! Hundreds of "facts" you thought were true, but aren't, Sterling Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4027-3791-6"

leaves a lot to be desired. A three paranormal skeptics do a metanalysis on medical literature, and find nothing?

Color me unimpressed.

[benld74]

36. But, What about the Werewolf of Londaon?

[alfredo]

46. You mean this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uV9xIzzcHg

[RushIsRot]

45. How can the amount of light we detect to be reflected from a "full moon"

affect people when, in actuality, the mass of the moon remains constant?

[boppers]

56. It's more light, that's how.

Links between light exposure and human behavior are somewhat established:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder

...where the science gets rockier is that there's a great deal of discussion (and study) about the extent of the effects, range of effects, and the meaning of different studies.

[Frank Cannon]

58. I think it just means that more (drunken) people are likely to be outside

and getting into creative trouble that they otherwise wouldn't be getting into.

[RushIsRot]

61. Perhaps, BUT why only one day per lunar cycle? The light increases

and decreases gradually as the moon waxes and wanes as it approaches and retreats from full. It seems as if there should be a few days of "lunacy" associated with the brighter evenings as well.

[boppers]

69. Seek and ye shall find.

The hot press focuses on the peaks of a bell curve, not on the ramp up, or ramp down.

Plot the reports during the few minutes of a full moon, vs. before and after (a full moon isn't all night, it's a few minutes).

Expand over an evening, and then a few days.

[RushIsRot]

60. This response does little to "enlighten" me. S.A.D. is a seasonal

problem that is generally manifest by depression. It is caused by an extended lack of sunlight.

The "full moon effect" OTOH is reported only once every lunar cycle and has little to do with depression. Looks like apples and oranges to me.

[paulsby]

52. so what? it's a self fulfilling prophecy.

unless the fact that it is a full moon is hidden from these people (iow, they are in a windowless environment), it means nothing except the fact that people recognize it's a full moon makes them act out because THEY think the full moon matters.

everybody knows the full moon is supposed to make people act "loco". so, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.



it's not frigging rocket science.

[sendero]

53. The word "lunatic"..

... comes to mind.

This has been well known for decades. Full moon - ERs are busy.

[4_TN_TITANS]

59. I've been working with customers for too long

and the wife has been an elementary school teacher for too long to doubt this. The moon absolutely affects people, just like it pulls the tides. Neither of us needs to look at the calendar to tell when the moon is full, we can read it in the actions of all those around us.

[Buns_of_Fire]

62. ...and this month, the full moon occurs on New Year's Eve.

Make of that what you will, but *I* sure ain't gonna be doing any driving that evening!:scared:

[Hekate]

63. Very interesting. nt

[woo me with science]

70. This belongs in the woo forum. nt

[DavidDvorkin]

71. True, but you will now be attacked for saying so.

[happyslug]

72. One of the problem we have is that most people live in area where street lights exists

I was watching a video showing some Taliban running across an open field at night and clearly being seen by Night Vision device from one of the Drones the US is using in Afghanistan. The Military was bragging about how effective it was showing these men running in an open field at night. My sisters and I laughed about it for we remember going on extensive night hikes during the full moon WITHOUT Flashlights and Night Vision Devices. In open fields (Or on dirt roads going through the woods) a full moon will provide you enough light to get around. You will have trouble in any area with trees but if you do NOT use a flashlight and keep what the Military calls your "Night Vision" you can operate in almost all open areas at night with minimal restriction (the exception is areas where you have tree covers or ditches. The tree covers block the moon light and thus it is to dark to move, Ditches are a big hazard for the reduced light compared to daylight mean you can miss a ditch that during the daylight you could easily see (If you know anything about Night Vision Devices, these "problems" are also problems when using Night Vision Devices for the same reason, lack of light).

We, as Humans thus could and did operate at night especially during the Full Moon. Other creatures we were interacting with also operated during the Full Moon for the same reason. Thus for the 100,000 years modern humans have been on this Planet (and millions of years since the first ancestor of modern humans have been on this planet) we had to deal with increase threats AND opportunities during the Full Moon. Given most people have access to flashlights over the last 50 or so years, this ability has NOT been used by the vast majority of people and thus we forget about it. The reason I mention the Taliban and the Night Vision Devices above is that most people who watched that Video came of age in areas where you had street lights and have NEVER operated at night in areas without light or without flashlights. The idea that you CAN operate at night is NOT in their life experience. The Military knows this an counted out it when the above video was released. Most people would see that Video and assumes this is something 100% new NOT just an enhancement of what people could do WITHOUT Night Vision Devices (The Night Vision Devices greatly enhances one's vision at night, but tends to fail in areas without any light, such as deep woods and ditches. I do NOT want to sound like I an minimizing the affect of Night Vision Devices, just pointing out that much of what such devices can do, can be done, to a much less but still usable level, by the naked eyes in clear sky, open terrain, full moon conditions).

I point out the above to show that Humans CAN and HAVE operated in relations to the Full Moon for millions of years. We had to EVOLVE in an area where the Full Moon was a Factor in survival. Thus we developed ways to address both the opportunities and problems caused by the Full Moon and thus we still see the affect of this evolution is dealing with the full moon. Thus to say we, as humans, did NOT develop some mechanism to deal with the problems and advantages caused by the Full Moon is to ignore the whole theory of evolution. I suspect the Full Moon had important, through minimal, affect on people but those affects, even if minimal, do exist, to claim otherwise is to refuse to accept the fact we evolved on a planet that has a full moon every 28 days, and thus the problems and advantages of the Full Moon would have had to be faced by Humans every 28 days for millions of years.

[sofa king]

73. Hmmm.

August 16, 2008: Full moon, Saturday night.

December 12, 2008: Full moon, Friday night.

January 11, 2008: Full moon, Saturday night.

April 10, 2009: Full moon, Friday night and Good Friday.

May 9, 2009: Full moon, Saturday night.

June 8, 2009: Full moon, Monday night but also the Queen's Birthday (national holiday).


Six weekend nights or holiday nights out of twelve nights sampled. Hmmm. Do Australians happen to drink more on weekends, perhaps?


Edit: Here's my source: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=2008&country=29

[DavidDvorkin]

74. Very interesting.