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Barking mad? another lunatic hypothesis bites the dust
1Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. simonc@health.usyd.edu.au
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|December 22, 2000
Summary
Dog bites requiring hospital admission are not more frequent during the full moon. A review of Australian hospital data found no correlation between lunar phases and dog bite incidents.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Public Health
- Lunar Influence Studies
Background:
- Anecdotal beliefs suggest increased human or animal incidents during full moons.
- Previous studies have explored lunar cycles' impact on various human behaviors and accidents.
- The relationship between lunar phases and dog bite occurrences remains largely unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that dog bites requiring hospital admission are more prevalent during the full moon.
- To provide empirical data on the association between lunar cycles and dog bite epidemiology.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of dog bite admissions to Australian accident and emergency departments was conducted.
- Data spanned from June 1997 to June 1998.
- Admission dates were compared against dates of the full moon.
Main Results:
- Analysis revealed 12 peak clusters of dog bite admissions throughout the study period.
- None of these identified clusters coincided with the occurrence of a full moon.
- Statistical analysis indicated no significant relationship between full moon phases and dog bite hospital admissions.
Conclusions:
- The study concludes that dog bites requiring hospital admission do not occur more frequently during a full moon.
- Findings do not support the popular belief linking lunar cycles to an increase in dog bite incidents.
- This research provides evidence against the 'full moon effect' in the context of dog bite epidemiology.
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