Edition
6
The science boys finally got something right. A recent
headline announced that a mysterious illness affecting some 2,000
students in a Tennessee school was, following an extensive investigation,
found to be based solely on hysteria.
It began when a teacher noticed a funny smell in the kitchen
of a McMinnville high school and became sick to her stomach.
Soon, by the dozens, students throughout the school fell ill.
Now, anyone whose ever worked in an office has been aware of
this phenomenon. Your co-worker becomes ill, you start thinking
you feel a tad sick, and soon enough, sure enough, most if not
all of the office is out sick or thinking about it. What’s
the big deal? But the people who know about these things
have a new name for it and that’s how they keep their jobs.
They say cases of mass hysteria are now to be called psychogenic
illnesses.
This phenomenon has long historical roots. Hundreds of
outbreaks of mass hysteria – sorry, psychogenic illnesses – have
been documented over the past century, often among schoolchildren,
soldiers, office and factory workers. Those folks in previous
eras, believed that spirits and demons oppressed us. I know
I believed that back in the 60’s while working for a very large
company. I knew my boss was the devil. Boy, I’d love
to be able to have called him to let him know I’d be out of the
office with the psychogenic flu for a few days and it was all
his fault.
