Episode 19: Of Madness and Moons

 in Podcasts  tagged history / moon / myth / superstition by

Can the moon make you crazy? The superstition is rampant in medicine, but the idea that a full moon awakens psychiatric pathologies traces back thousands of years. In Episode 19 of Bedside Rounds, producer Cam Steele looks at evidence behind the belief and traces the origins of this cultural fossil that has managed to last until the 21st century. Learn about all this and more in Of Madness and Moons!

 

Sources

  • Raison CL, et al. The Moon and Madness Reconsidered. J Affect Disord. 1999 Apr;53(1):99-106.
  • Oderta GM, et al. Lunar cycle and poison center calls. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1983 Jul;20(5):487-95.
  • Benbadis SR, et al. The influence of the full moon on seizure frequency: myth or reality? Epilepsy Behav. 2004 Aug;5(4):596-7.
  • Kluger MJ et al, The Role of Fever in Disease. Annals New York Academy of Sciences. September 1998.
  • Epstein, N. Artificial Fever as a Therapeutic Procedure. Cal West Med. 1936 May; 44(5): 357–358.
  • Mackowiak, P. Brief History of Antipyretic Therapy. Clinical Infectious Diseases. Volume 31, Issue Supplement 5Pp. S154-S156.

 

Music

  • Stevie Wonder, Superstitious.
  • The Office Theme Song
  • Airship Serenity, DarxieLand, Mystery Bazaar, all by by Kevin MacLeod from incompetech.com