You probably don’t see headlines about mass hysteria every day, but most of us have at least a vague idea of what the term means. In its simplest form, people tend to picture a whole crowd suddenly acting a little crazy all at once. History even offers vivid examples, like the infamous dancing plague that swept through Europe in 1518, where townsfolk literally danced themselves into exhaustion.

1 What Is Mass Hysteria?

How Does Mass Hysteria Take Hold?

Mass hysteria, also called mass psychogenic illness, describes a situation where a group of individuals all experience similar physical or emotional symptoms despite there being no identifiable environmental or physiological cause. The term “hysteria” traces back to the Greek word for womb, reflecting an outdated belief that only women could suffer from this condition. That’s also where the everyday expression “stop being hysterical” originates.

Modern research shows that both men and women can be affected, although females—especially teenage girls—appear more vulnerable. Some scientists have even noted that cheerleaders seem particularly prone, possibly because they’re often taught to conceal stress and avoid overt aggression, making them more likely to channel anxiety into psychosomatic symptoms.

Because of the sexist roots of the old terminology, contemporary scholars prefer the neutral label “mass psychogenic illness.” This is defined as “a social phenomenon consisting of collective anxiety triggered by a perceived threat, which can cascade into a suite of symptoms that mimic an organic disease without any detectable cause.”

In plain language, a psychogenic illness erupts when people believe something harmful has happened—whether a toxin, a virus, or an unseen danger. Their bodies then manifest genuine symptoms, even though the underlying trigger is purely psychological. We’ll explore examples that have nothing to do with germs but rather with shared beliefs about events that never actually occurred.

One hallmark of psychogenic outbreaks is that those affected act in ways they normally wouldn’t. Psychologists compare this to “mob mentality,” where individuals in a crowd lose a sense of personal restraint, become hyper‑aware of their emotions, and feed off each other’s heightened feelings. This loss of self‑regulation can drive a group toward extreme, irrational behavior.

Historical records reveal countless instances of mass hysteria spanning centuries and continents. No culture or society appears immune, proving that the phenomenon transcends geography, language, and era.

2 What Causes a Mass Psychogenic Illness?

Pinpointing the exact spark behind a psychogenic outbreak is notoriously tricky. Because the condition can masquerade as anything from a contagious disease to a supernatural menace, there’s rarely a single, tidy explanation.

Take, for instance, a scenario where a group detects an odd odor and instantly assumes they’ve been poisoned. That’s precisely what happened at a Tennessee elementary school in 1998: students reported a strange smell, feared a toxic agent, and subsequently exhibited fainting, headaches, and nausea—yet investigations uncovered no harmful substance.

In 2014, a wave of unexplained ailments swept through pre‑teens and teenage girls in Colombia. More than 240 girls were hospitalized with symptoms ranging from dizziness to convulsions. Rumors blamed the Gardasil vaccine, sparking protests, but health officials confirmed no link. The real culprit? A classic case of mass psychogenic illness, where genuine belief in illness produced real physical symptoms.

These youngsters weren’t faking; their bodies truly responded to the imagined threat. The illness spreads through psychological channels, not through a virus or toxin.

Victims typically gather in close‑quarters—schools, workplaces, or any setting that forces proximity. Common physical manifestations include fainting, seizures, nausea, shortness of breath, and headaches.

Data suggest that a psychogenic episode usually starts with a single individual and then radiates to people who see that person suffer and who know them well. If the initial case involves a popular or high‑status individual—say, a star student—the ripple effect can be dramatically larger.

The Tennessee case was thoroughly investigated; no toxic agent was ever identified. Researchers observed that most children who fell ill had first witnessed a peer experiencing symptoms, reinforcing the contagious psychological nature of the outbreak.

In May 2006, hundreds of Portuguese teenagers reported a rash, dizziness, and breathing troubles. The mystery was eventually traced to a popular teen drama called “Strawberries with Sugar,” which featured a similar health scare in its storyline. The fictional plot acted as a catalyst, prompting real‑world symptoms among viewers.

Anxiety often sits at the heart of these episodes. When stress levels rise—whether from exams, social pressure, or broader societal turmoil—the mind can convert that tension into tangible physical complaints, a process sometimes labeled “conversion disorder.”

Cultural context shapes the perceived threat, too. In many African nations, fears of evil spirits or demonic forces can fuel psychogenic outbreaks, while Western societies might worry about chemical spills, toxins, or other concrete hazards.

3 Mass Hysteria, Mass Suggestion, and Bad Media

In today’s hyper‑connected world, the spread of mass suggestion and hysteria happens at lightning speed. Where past episodes required a confined setting—like a school hallway or a convent—now a single viral video can ignite a worldwide psychogenic wave.

In 2021, German researchers documented a surge of self‑reported Tourette‑like tics that traced back to a single TikTok video. The clip featured an individual—whether deliberately exaggerated or not—displaying unusual vocalizations like “fries” and even “Heil Hitler.” After the video went viral, dozens of viewers began visiting doctors, reporting identical tics that only manifested when they were pressured to perform them.

Medical professionals quickly ruled out genuine Tourette syndrome, recognizing the pattern as a mass social‑media‑induced phenomenon. Similar spikes have been observed with other conditions, such as dissociative identity disorder, where TikTok trends encourage viewers to self‑diagnose and mimic symptoms they see online.

A 2016 story about a woman who allegedly hallucinated people trying to lift the roof off her car illustrates how sensational journalism can fuel hysteria. Reports claimed that emergency responders and others who came into contact also experienced hallucinations, prompting a temporary “quarantine” of the local ER. Subsequent investigation revealed that only the original patient exhibited any symptoms, and the alleged spread was largely fabricated by click‑bait headlines.

In reality, the ER never closed, and the few people who visited were released quickly after showing only mild, flu‑like signs. The tale had been amplified by a single, unverified news article that lacked direct quotes and relied heavily on speculation, leading the story to travel as far as the Philippines before being debunked.

These examples underscore how modern media—especially platforms that reward sensational content—can act as a catalyst for mass psychogenic events, turning isolated anecdotes into perceived epidemics.

4 Examples of Mass Hysteria in History

One of the most talked‑about recent mysteries is Havana Syndrome. Starting in 2017, dozens of U.S. diplomats stationed abroad reported a puzzling mix of dizziness, ringing ears, confusion, and fatigue. Despite extensive investigation, no physical cause—such as a sonic weapon or chemical agent—has ever been confirmed, leading many experts to label it a psychogenic episode.

In 2016, a nationwide “clown panic” swept the United States and beyond. Rumors swirled that malevolent clowns were prowling woods, trying to lure children. While no concrete threats materialized, sightings multiplied, partly fueled by people dressing up as clowns for attention, which only intensified public fear.

Back in 1999, Belgium faced a massive scare over allegedly “tainted” Coca‑Cola. Consumers believed the soft drink was contaminated, prompting the company to recall hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of product—despite laboratory tests showing the beverage was perfectly safe. The episode highlights how genuine‑feeling symptoms can compel corporations to take drastic action.

The “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s serves as a cautionary tale of how fear can spiral. Communities became convinced that secret cults were performing ritual abuse, leading to false accusations, ruined reputations, and even wrongful convictions—many of which were later overturned. Pop culture, from movies to series like Stranger Things, continues to echo this hysteria.

London’s 1837 legend of Spring‑Heeled Jack tells of a terrifying figure with glowing eyes and the ability to leap rooftops. Reports of attacks flooded newspapers, and a man was even arrested, though the alleged victim claimed the assailant could breathe fire—an obvious impossibility that never held up in court.

Across the Atlantic, the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century epitomize mass hysteria fueled by religious fervor and personal vendettas. Accusations of witchcraft led to trials, imprisonments, and executions of innocent townsfolk, underscoring how collective paranoia can have deadly consequences.

Whenever groups gather under stressful circumstances—whether it’s the pressure of final exams, a looming pandemic, or political upheaval—the stage is set for psychogenic illness to emerge. Though many outbreaks remain small and go unnoticed, the pattern repeats worldwide: a mysterious “illness” spreads, symptoms manifest, and rational explanations struggle to gain traction.

Mass hysteria, a puzzling psychological phenomenon, has been recorded from medieval times to the modern day. The 10 epidemics mass we dive into below reveal how fear, stress, and the urge to belong can push whole groups into wildly irrational actions. Political upheaval, environmental strain, and the simple need to fit in with peers have repeatedly sparked episodes that seem straight out of a fever dream.

Across centuries, tightly‑knit groups—whether a school, a convent, or a small town—have found themselves caught in inexplicable waves of collective behavior. From contagious laughter to mysterious fainting fits, each outbreak tells a tale of how the human mind can turn ordinary stress into extraordinary, sometimes deadly, spectacles.

10 epidemics mass: A quick look at the weirdest collective scares

10 Dancing Plague Of 1518

Picture the summer of 1518 in Strasbourg, a bustling town in the French Alsace region, where one lone citizen burst onto the cobblestones and began an uncontrollable jig. Within days, the feverish dance spread like wildfire, and over four hundred townspeople—mostly women—were caught in a relentless, nonstop boogie that lasted well beyond a month.

The municipal authorities were anything but amused. Physicians of the era blamed “overheated blood” that turned the brain into a perpetual dance‑machine during the sweltering July heat. Modern scholars, however, have suggested a more psychedelic culprit: ergot‑contaminated rye, a fungus that can induce LSD‑like hallucinations when baked into bread.

Regardless of the cause, the spectacle was grim. Many dancers collapsed from sheer exhaustion, some suffering fatal heart attacks or strokes. The town’s desperate attempts to curb the mania—ranging from hiring musicians to playing calming tunes—did little to stop the relentless rhythm that held Strasbourg captive.

9 Tanganyika Laughing Epidemic

In 1962, three students at a boarding school in what is now Tanzania erupted into uncontrollable mirth. Their giggles proved highly contagious, quickly spreading to ninety‑five pupils and turning the entire school into a chorus of hysterical laughter.

The bouts varied in length—from brief, hour‑long fits to prolonged episodes that stretched over two weeks. Alongside the laughter, affected children experienced crying spells, sharp pains, and occasional fainting, making normal classroom instruction impossible. The school ultimately shut its doors for two months while officials tried to restore sanity.

Even after the school closed, the contagion seeped into nearby villages and other schools, eventually touching more than a thousand people. Investigations ruled out food‑borne toxins or chemical exposure, leaving the stressful, regimented life of a strict boarding school as the most plausible trigger for this massive laughing epidemic.

8 Mad Gasser

During the final weeks of August 1944, the quiet town of Mattoon, Illinois, was shaken by reports of a phantom “gasser.” Residents awoke to a strange, sweet odor that preceded a flurry of symptoms: nausea, vomiting, coughing, and even temporary paralysis.

The first documented case involved a man who, after inhaling the mysterious scent, suffered severe nausea while his wife lay paralyzed in bed. Over the next two weeks, more than twenty families reported similar nocturnal attacks, each describing an inexplicable gas that seemed to seep into their homes.

All victims recovered quickly, and investigators eventually attributed the phenomenon to a blend of industrial fumes from a nearby plant and the power of suggestion—mass hysteria sparked by the fear of a nightly prowler. No tangible “gasser” was ever apprehended.

7 Meowing Nuns

In the late 15th century, a French convent became the unlikely stage for a feline‑like chorus. One nun began meowing, and soon her sisters joined in, creating a full‑blown “cat imitation” epidemic that echoed through the cloister walls.

The curious cacophony irritated nearby villagers so much that soldiers were dispatched to guard the convent’s perimeter. Authorities warned the nuns that continued meowing would be met with corporal punishment, yet the bizarre mimicry persisted, spreading to other convents where sisters imitated dogs, birds, and even exhibited violent biting.

Contemporary observers blamed demonic possession, but modern scholars argue that the oppressive, enforced celibacy and austere conditions of convent life likely triggered a collective psychogenic response, manifesting as these animal‑like outbursts.

6 Strawberries With Sugar Virus

In 2006, a wave of mysterious ailments swept through Portuguese schools, affecting more than three hundred children. Victims complained of dizziness, breathing difficulties, and skin rashes—symptoms that seemed to align with a fictional virus featured in the popular teen soap opera “Strawberries With Sugar.”

The show had aired an episode depicting a deadly school‑based virus, and viewers, especially the impressionable youngsters, began to believe that their everyday ailments were actually signs of this televised contagion. The media frenzy turned routine complaints into a nationwide health scare.

Medical authorities eventually traced the panic to the power of suggestion, concluding that the televised storyline had ignited a collective psychosomatic response, not a genuine viral outbreak.

5 Meissen Trembling Disease

In the autumn of 1905, a student in Meissen, Germany, began to experience uncontrollable tremors while writing. By the following May, over two hundred students across nearby schools exhibited the same inexplicable shaking, but only during tasks that required writing.

These high‑achieving pupils were under intense academic pressure, and the spread of rumors about a “trembling disease” seemed to amplify the phenomenon. Some authorities attempted to “treat” the condition with electric shocks, a practice that was quickly abandoned as the episodes subsided after a brief respite from writing assignments.

The episode underscores how performance anxiety, coupled with peer contagion, can manifest as physical symptoms that mimic a genuine neurological disorder.

4 Hollinwell Incident

July 1986 saw a massive swooning episode at the Hollinwell showground in England’s East Midlands. Over five hundred schoolchildren, gathered for a marching‑band competition, were suddenly overcome by a wave of fainting that left roughly three hundred participants collapsed on the field.

Victims reported sore throats and a burning sensation in their eyes. Initial theories ranged from a nearby gas leak to pesticide drift, but investigators ultimately concluded that a blend of travel‑induced fatigue, the sweltering July heat, and pre‑performance nerves sparked a classic case of mass hysteria.

The incident prompted emergency services to intervene, and the competition was halted while medical teams tended to the affected children and adults.

3 Blackburn Faintings

In 1965, the town of Blackburn, England, experienced a baffling fainting epidemic that stretched over several days. The first wave struck when crowds gathered outside Blackburn Cathedral to welcome Princess Margaret for the reopening of the cathedral’s restorations, leaving 140 children fainted under the hot sun.

The following day, another 98 pupils collapsed at a nearby school, and by week’s end the total number of affected youngsters topped three hundred. Initial speculation pointed to industrial fumes from a neighboring factory, but the final diagnosis cited mass hysteria fueled by over‑breathing and the excitement surrounding the royal visit.

Schools were temporarily closed for thorough inspections, and the episode remains a textbook example of how heightened emotion and environmental stress can combine to produce a community‑wide medical mystery.

2 Wurzburg Screaming Epidemic

In 1749, the convent of Wurzburg, Germany, was haunted by a terrifying screaming epidemic. The sub‑prioress, Sister Maria Renata, initially denied entry to a young woman prone to convulsions, but after the decision was overturned, other sisters began imitating the woman’s frantic behavior.

The resulting episodes featured shrieking, writhing, foaming at the mouth, and trance‑like states that terrified both the nuns and the surrounding community. Authorities labeled the phenomenon as demonic possession, and Sister Maria Renata was coerced into confessing witchcraft.

She was subsequently beheaded, an act that abruptly ended the screaming fits. The tragedy highlights how religious oppression and fear could manifest in violent collective psychosis during the era.

1 Face‑Scratcher

In 2002, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was gripped by a night‑time terror: locals reported a luminous, sideways‑flying object that allegedly scratched victims’ faces, leaving mysterious marks and burns. Descriptions varied from football‑sized orbs to tortoise‑shaped UFOs that swooped down on unsuspecting villagers.

The rumors spread like wildfire, prompting the formation of vigilante night patrols intent on scaring away the alien attacker. Police intervened, and in a tragic turn, fired into crowds, resulting in several deaths. Investigators later suggested the scratches could have been caused by insects or “lightning balls,” but the panic subsided only after the monsoon season arrived.

The episode serves as a stark reminder of how folklore and fear can combine to produce a full‑blown mass hysteria, especially in communities with limited scientific resources.

Throughout history there have been numerous events that were left mostly unexplained by those who witnessed them. Incidents where people all began to act mysteriously and demonstrate symptoms that seemingly made no sense, like nuns that bark or children that can’t stop laughing. As quickly as they come, they often fade away and few people are any worse for it. When these unexplained conditions pop up, mass hysteria is often the cause. 

10. The Cuban Embassy Attacks

One of the biggest and scariest stories of 2016 and beyond dealt with a series of bizarre illnesses that befell American diplomats at the US Embassy in Cuba. Numerous people came down with serious issues ranging from memory loss to hearing loss to actual, physical brain damage. The Trump White House accused Cuba of deploying some kind of secret sonic weapon against the Embassy. But subsequent research has made this less plausible.

Today, if you look at the Wikipedia page for the attacks, there is a section that dismisses the idea of mass hysteria thanks to JAMA research that concluded the victims had suffered physical trauma. That makes it seem pretty cut and dry. However, that was dated from 2018. 

Other researchers reviewed the data and came up with some critical errors. The reports that staffers at the embassy were riddled with physical ailments offered no context. There is no data whatsoever to back up claims that people suffered injuries, including the nature of the injuries, how they were evaluated, or anything else.

Much of the data relied on for reports cited in the media were based on self-reporting.The idea that the trauma was inflicted by a new sonic weapon took off, except that no one in the world has ever made such a weapon and even those that have tried, like the US government, have had little success with anything similar to what happened in Cuba because physics don’t allow things to work that way. 

What the condition did seem to mirror very well were the symptoms of mass hysteria outbreaks.

9. Salem Witch Trials

Possibly America’s most famous case of mass hysteria, and one of its darkest, the Salem Witch Trials show just how extremely dangerous mass hysteria can get. In the span of one year in the late 1600s, nineteen women were executed by hanging as witches while hundreds more faced persecution for the made up crime. More died in prison and from additional methods of torture.

The local priest had set up an environment where citizens were shamed publicly for their transgressions. When his children began having fits, he accused locals of devilry. Dozens were arrested and put on trial to face bizarre and nonsensical tests to prove whether they were witches. One of the tests involved simply touching someone having one of these fits. If the fit stopped, the person was a witch. Even the presence of a mole, then known as a witch’s teat, was considered direct evidence of witchcraft.

8. Monkey Man

Some cases of mass hysteria seem easier to believe than others. But there’s long been a powerful thread of the supernatural and unbelievable behind many cases that makes it even harder to understand how any of it could have been believed by anyone, let alone many people. Few cases of this are more dramatic than the Monkey Man of New Delhi.

In 2001, residents of New Delhi began reporting sightings of a terrifying half-man, half monkey. The creature traveled across rooftops and had razor sharp metal claws as well as a helmet, presumably for safety.

People reported being attacked and injured by the creature. Worse, several people even died in what was believed to have been attempts to escape the monkey man that resulted in them falling from rooftops. Police were unable to keep up with all the reports, and most of the injuries were chalked up to animal bites rather than supernatural monkey man bites. 

The hysteria was believed to have been fueled not just by superstition but by rolling blackouts that were leaving people unexpectedly in darkness at random times. That likely exacerbated fears and made the situation worse. 

The situation got bad enough at some point that gangs of vigilantes were roaming the streets and had even beat up a very short man, assuming he was the monkey man in question. 

7. Halifax Slasher

In 1938 in Halifax, England, a man with shiny buckles on his shoes and a mallet began attacking women. Two women claimed the man attacked them and set off a panic that saw people taking to the streets in an effort to hunt the villain down. 

Within the first week other attacks were reported, and the weapon changed from a mallet to a knife or razors. Scotland Yard was called to help with the investigation. Vigilantes attacked those that they felt might be the slasher, and things spiralled out of control. Local businesses closed up shop in fear and the panic spread to other towns where attacks also started being reported.

Eventually one of the victims caved in and admitted they had made the attack up and actually harmed themselves. Others did the same, and eventually five of the so-called victims were charged with public mischief.

6. Tanganyika Laughter Incident

Laughter is the best medicine, some people say, but that can’t be the case when laughter is also the problem. That was the case of an incident in 1962 in Tanzania when one girl at a school started laughing and couldn’t stop. School officials tried to make her stop to no avail and laughter contagious as it sometimes is, spread to other students. Nearly 100 of the school’s 159 students were affected. The event started in January and was still going on in March when the school was forced to shut down.

The laughing epidemic spread beyond the borders of the school. People in other towns and other schools fell victim. Some people were affected for days, some for weeks. But it spread around enough that over 1,000 victims were claimed in total and 14 different schools had to be closed over the course of several months. 

Looking back on the incident, most researchers have concluded that the laughter was anxiety-borne. There were a number of contributing factors that were causing excessive stress to students at the time. Unknown expectations of the British run schools and thr fact that the region has just gained independence were likely major causes of unrest in people’s minds. 

5. The Mad Gasser of Mattoon

You’d be forgiven for not knowing much about the town of Mattoon, Illinois. With a population under 20,000 people, it’s a tiny place that isn’t well known for much. Except for the Mad Gasser who plagued the town in the 1940s and who also didn’t actually exist. 

For several weeks, residents in the town reported being attacked by a stranger who exposed them to poisonous gas. Witnesses also corroborated these reports, assuring police they had seen the gasser at work. 

According to reports, victims would be at home and notice an unusual smell. They would then suffer symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and paralysis. Despite this, police never found a shred of evidence that the gasser existed. In fact, they were able to find much more evidence that there was no gasser, and the strange smells all had easy to pinpoint explanations from spilled nail polish to animals. 

4. Charlie Charlie

The Charlie Charlie Challenge, an adaptation of a much older game simply called “the pencil game” reportedly summoned forth nefarious spirits from beyond and led to death and suicide. None of that was true but it didn’t stop countries like Fiji and Libya from banning the game outright to protect vulnerable children.

The idea of the game is simple. You place a pair of pencils on a sheet of paper, one balanced on the other to create what looks like a plus sign. You have things like names written in each of the four segments of the sheet of paper that are bordered by the pencils. Players ask a question like “which boy likes me?” and the pencil rotates on a pivot point to point at one of the four names you have written on the sheet of paper.

Because the pencil is very precariously balanced, it can move with very little force. Even breathing near it will cause it to rotate. In principle it’s very similar to how a Ouija board works, seemingly moving of its own volition even though there are easy to understand forces at work.

In 2015, however, this game got out of hand. Renamed “Charlie Charlie,” the idea was that kids were asking a spirit or demon to move the pencil. Most stories called it a Mexican demon, despite the English name. Four girls in Colombia ended up going to the hospital as a result, screaming and hysterical, believed to be victims of the supernatural forces at work. Doctors diagnosed it as mass hysteria and nothing more. 

3. The Clown Panic

In 2016, the world was in the grip of clown panic. Chiefly centered in the United States, it had spread to many other countries including Canada, the UK and others. There was a widespread belief that evil clowns were roaming the streets. By October there were dozens of reports coming in every day about sinister clowns. 

The clown panic seems to have started as the result of a single viral marketing stunt in Wisconsin. And stunt was a generous term. A man dressed as a creepy clown was simply standing in street corners looking like a clown.

After that, reports began rolling in from all over the country. Clowns with weapons, clowns making threats, clowns looking ominous. And as near as anyone could tell, none of it was real. Not a single clown actually did anything ominous or dangerous during the entire event.

Police were receiving anonymous reports of clowns trying to lure children and little to no evidence to back anything up. But each subsequent story made national news, and that put more fuel on the fire. The panic lasted for months, throughout the summer and well into the fall. 

By October most media sources were openly calling it all a hoax since no genuine harm had been caused and no real arrests had been made, just false arrests based on false reports. 

2. The Dancing Plague

One of the oldest known cases of mass hysteria took place all the way back in 1518. The incident was actually used as a partial basis for a plot point in Buffy the Vampire Slayer back in the day as well. The residents of Strasbourg, Alsace were struck with an inextricable urge to dance. It became known as the Dancing Plague.

The incident started in July. A woman called Frau Troffea took to the street one day and began to dance. She danced for a day and then two days. She danced for an entire week and by week’s end, she had three-dozen back up dancers. By the time August rolled around, as many as 400 residents of the town were busting moves in the streets.

Doctors, already at a loss to explain most well-known illnesses, settled on “hot blood” as the cause. So the cure was basically an “if you can’t beta ‘em, join ‘em” situation. The town erected a stage and hired a band. 

Instead of fixing the problem, the dancers were just pushed to their breaking point. Reports that people danced themselves to death circulated after the fact and whether or not they are true is still up for debate. 

1. Puppy Pregnancy Syndrome

Generally speaking, mass hysteria is a limited scope phenomenon. It happens for a defined period of time then it goes away when people realize the thing they fear is not real. Such is not the case with puppy pregnancy syndrome in West Bengal, India. This strange mass panic keeps popping up again and again over the years. 

Puppy pregnancy syndrome is tragically very much what it sounds like. Victims are bitten by dogs and then convinced that the dog bite has impregnated them with puppies. The vast majority of people in one small village are convinced this is a very real thing.

According to their beliefs if a dog in a clear state of sexual arousal bites a human, the dog saliva transmits the fetal dogs to the human bloodstream. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, the dog babies will take root. That means men are in a far worse position than female bite victims as, according to the belief, they are doomed to birth puppies through their urethra. 

Men are convinced they will die during the delivery process. As a result, there are so-called experts in town who can perform rituals to abort the puppies and save human lives. This must be especially important when you consider some female victims have claimed that they could even hear the puppies in their abdomen barking in the night. 

As silly as it sounds, the syndrome has had serious, real consequences. Victims had to be medicated to overcome serious fears of dogs and obsessive compulsive disorders.