Lunar effect

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Educational level: this is a research resource.

This project explores the idea that the Earth's Moon has an influence on human behavior. These beliefs have a very long history but there are few sources that give a good overview of the topic. Surveys have shown that this belief is still commonplace in contemporary society, despite studies which have found that there is no correlation between the Moon and many indicators of human behavior.[1] One of the goals is to gather information which can be used to improve w:Lunar effect and perhaps also w:Medical astrology.

History[edit | edit source]

The horoscope of a "Lunatic" according to astrologer C. Heydon (London, 1792)

The term "lunatic" derives from the Latin word lunaticus ("moonstruck") which originally referred mainly to epilepsy and madness as diseases caused by the moon.[2] By the fourth and fifth centuries astrologers were commonly using the term to refer to neurological and psychiatric diseases.[2] Through at least 1700 it was also a common belief that the Moon influenced fevers, rheumatism, episodes of epilepsy and other diseases.[3]

The nativity shown here is an historic example of the belief that lunacy was caused by the position of the Earth's Moon at the time of birth. This author describes how the positions of the planets Saturn and Mars (both of which are considered to be a malefic planet by astrologers) with respect to the Moon are the cause of "diseases of the mind."[4]

Literary references[edit | edit source]


Depictions in art[edit | edit source]

  • An insane man.. engraving by H. Fernell, 1735.
  • Lunacy - unrolling letters, a print from One Hundred Aspects of the Moon by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1889.
  • Illustration that accompanies "A visit to the lunatic asylum." in a series of poems and essays called The Affectionate Parent’s Gift, 1828


Contemporary beliefs[edit | edit source]

Scientific studies[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Campbell, David E.; John L. Beets (September 1978). "Lunacy and the moon". Psychological Bulletin 85 (5): 1123-1129. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.85.5.1123. http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1979-26088-001. Retrieved 2016-01-04. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Riva, M. A.; Tremolizzo, L.; Spicci, M.; Ferrarese, C.; De Vito, G.; Cesana, G. C.; Sironi, V. A. (January 2011). "The Disease of the Moon: The Linguistic and Pathological Evolution of the English Term "Lunatic"". Journal of the History of the Neurosciences 20 (1): 65–73. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2010.481101. 
  3. Harrison, Mark (2000). "From medical astrology to medical astronomy: sol-lunar and planetary theories of disease in British medicine, c. 1700–1850". The British Journal for the History of Science 33 (1): 25-48. doi:10.1017/S0007087499003854. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Heydon, C. (1792). Astrology. The wisdom of Solomon in miniature, being a new doctrine of nativities, reduced to accuracy and certainty; ... Also, a curious collection of nativities, never before published.. London: printed for A. Hamilton. ISBN 9781170010471. 

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Rotton, James; I.W. Kelly (1985). "A scale for assessing belief in lunar effects: reliability and concurrent validity". Psychological reports 57 (1): 239-245. doi:10.2466/pr0.1985.57.1.239. 
  • Vance, David E. (February 1995). Belief in lunar effects on human behavior. 76. pp. 32-34. doi:10.2466/pr0.1995.76.1.32.