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The influence of the full moon on the number of accessions to an animal emergency centre
Abstract
To test the hypothesis that the number of animal emergency centre accessions is associated with the time of the full moon.
Retrospective study. A comparison was made of the number of accessions to the University of Melbourne Animal Emergency Centre in the period February 2003 to January 2006 on full moon and non-full moon days, adjusted for day of the week and public holiday. A three day period with the day of the full moon as the middle day was taken to be a full moon period.
A total of 12,102 animals were presented to the Centre in this time. An adjusted count ratio of 1.048 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.14; P = 0.26) for accessions on full moon days compared with those on non-full moon days indicated that there was no significant association between the full moon and the number of accessions per day.
There was no significant difference between the number of animals presented to the University of Melbourne Animal Emergency Centre on full moon days and non-full moon days.
... In veterinary medicine, there is a paucity of studies and publications that address the epidemiology of emergency care, thus leaving a gap in the preparation, surveillance, and recognition of critical cases that require rapid interventions. There are studies that have evaluated variations in emergency admissions with moon cycles or holidays (WELLS et al., 2007;MCALEES;ANDERON, 2007;DROBATZ et al., 2009), emergency oncology review in small animal clinics (TUMIELEWICZ et al., 2019), the epidemiological aspects and main pathologies of feline patients (SÃO GERMANO et al., 2011), epidemiology of trauma in small animals (ROHDE et al., 2014), and another study addressing emergencies in the general context (GUTERRES et al., 2013). In translational medicine, there is evidence of the benefits of emergency epidemiological studies at the interface and collaboration for all species (FÉLIX; GOMMEREN; BOYSEN, 2019). ...
... At the international level, there are only three studies that have evaluated the epidemiological aspects of emergencies (MCALEES; ANDERSON, 2007;WELLS et al., 2007;DROBATZ et al., 2009), In these studies, the focus of the authors was not to evaluate the cause of emergencies, nor the epidemiological data of the occurrences; only the period of admissions and/or the possibility of associations between certain types of emergencies and the cycles of the moon, holidays, or times of the year were studied. Thus, the present work stands out with regard to the study of the epidemiological aspects of different causes of emergencies in dogs and cats. ...
The deficiencies in the screening protocols and the paucity of epidemiological studies aimed at emergency care contribute to a generalist emergency approach, without focusing on the most common causes and injuries of emergency admissions in veterinary practice. Thus, we aimed to retrospectively study the epidemiological aspects of emergency cases in dogs and cats under routine care at a veterinary school hospital at University X over 24 months (June 2012–June 2014). During this period, 328 cases were considered as emergencies, of which 306 were included in the study. The main causes of emergency admissions in both species were trauma, followed by hypovolemic shock. The third cause differed between species, the most common being neurological emergencies in dogs and urinary emergencies in cats. Knowledge of emergency epidemiological data in the pet clinic is essential for clinical surveillance, case screening, early diagnosis, rapid therapeutic intervention, and avoiding losses in the waiting rooms of veterinary emergency medicine.
... Many veterinary professionals have an inherent level of superstition. Phases of the moon, Friday the 13th, signs of the zodiac, national football league schedules, and numerous other events have been investigated as to their influence on veterinary emergency service caseload (McAlees and Anderson, 2007;Wells et al., 2007;Drobatz et al., 2009;Rozanski et al., 2009). One study found a significant increase in emergency room visits for dogs and cats on fuller moon days (waxing gibbous to waning gibbous) compared with all other days (Wells et al., 2007). ...
This study aims to determine whether the use of the word, Quiet increases veterinary emergency service triage traffic or hospital admissions. Days were randomized to be a control or test phrase day. On control days, the phrase, Have a nice day! was announced to the entire hospital staff. On test days, the phrase, Have a quiet day! was announced. No statistical difference in mean number of the patients presenting to the emergency service for triage (test phrase 30.1 ± 10.4 cases vs control phrase 30.3 cases ± 10.5, p = 0.91) or hospital admissions (test phrase 3.5 ± 1.9 cases vs control phrase 4.3 ± 2.4 cases, p = 0.13) was found for 24-h following phrase utterance. No statistical difference in mean number of patients presenting to the emergency service for triage (test phrase 2.7 ± 1.4 cases vs control phrase 2.6 ± 1.9 cases, p = 0.84) or hospital admissions (test phrase 0.3 ± 0.5 cases vs control phrase 0.5 ± 0.8 cases, p = 0.08) was found in the 2-h window immediately following phrase announcement. Despite popular myth, using the word, Quiet does not increase veterinary emergency service triage traffic or hospital admissions.
... Several investigations/studies have been carried out with regard to the effects of different phases of the lunar month on animals and humans, but there is a controversy about those effects (Bauer and Hornick 1968;Nalepka et al. 1983;Wolfe and Summerlin 1989;Raison et al. 1999;Ponce-Diaz et al. 2003;Biermann et al. 2005;McLay et al. 2006;Polychronopoulos et al. 2006;McAlees and Anderson 2007;Wells et al. 2007;Hanson et al. 2008;Voracek et al. 2008;Bueno et al. 2010;Mann and Kaufman 2010;Packer et al. 2011;Riva et al. 2011;Schuld et al. 2011;Chakraborty 2014). The aim of this review is to assess the relation of different phases of the lunar month on different activity of living organisms, like the activity pattern of marine organisms, animals, birds, insects and humans. ...
The illumination and the gravitational pull of the moon on the earth are not same in all the prominent position of the moon during the lunar month, i.e. new moon (NM), first quarter (FQ), full moon (FM) and third quarter (TQ), and the amplitude of ocean tides also varies among those lunar phases. A huge number of investigations have shown the relation of lunar phases with the different activity of living organisms, like the activity pattern of marine and other animals, birds, insects and humans. These alterations of activity pattern may be due to the changes of lunar gravitational force on the earth surface and changes of “biological tide” or the alteration of electromagnetic field of the earth and lunar illumination. The altered autonomic neural activity and cardiovascular activity of higher vertebrates and light/dark cycle in different lunar phases are probably the fundamental causes of the changes of activity of other living organisms.
... According to the lunar phases, not only the activity of the human autonomic nervous system (Chakraborty & Ghosh 2013b) and the cardiovascular system but also the physical efficiency (Chakraborty & Ghosh 2013a) may also be changed. Numerous investigations have been carried out and documented in the literature with regard to the effects of different phases of the lunar month on humans in general human health and diseases, human behavior and activity, and human reproduction in particular, but there is a controversy about the effects of lunar rhythm on human behavior and onset of diseases (Bauer & Hornick 1968;Nalepka et al. 1983;Martin et al. 1992;Mikulecky & Schreter 1993;Yvonneau 1996;Raison et al. 1999;Kollerstrom & Steffert 2003;Kumar et al. 2004;Biermann et al. 2005;Das et al. 2005;Polychronopoulos et al. 2006;McAlees & Anderson 2007;Terra-Bustamante et al. 2009;Bueno et al. 2010;Schuld et al. 2011). The aim of this review is to assess the effects of different phases of the lunar month on human health and diseases, human behavior and activity, and human reproduction. ...
The four prominent phases of the lunar month are new moon, first quarter, full moon, and third quarter. According to the position of the moon in its orbit, the gravitational pull of the moon on earth changes and the amplitude of ocean tides also vary. A large number of investigations have shown the association of different lunar phases with the mental health or physical health and diseases, physical activity pattern, and reproduction of humans. The changes occurred may be due to either the disturbance of electromagnetic field of the earth or the changes of lunar gravitational force on earth and changes of "human tidal wave" or "biological tide" during different lunar phases. The altered autonomic neural activity and cardiovascular activity during different lunar phases is probably one of the fundamental causes of the changes of human physiology.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of lunar phases on fasting plasma glucose, heart rate, and blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients. The present cross-sectional study was carried out during four phases, i.e., full moon (FM), first quarter (FQ), new moon (NM), and third quarter (TQ), of the lunar month. The study was conducted on 42 randomly selected patients (22 males and 20 females) from the Diabetes Clinic of Calcutta Medical College. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of each subject was determined and heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured at rest and during static exercise conditions, i.e., performance of a standard handgrip dynamometer test. The FPG level during the NM and FM was significantly higher (p < .001) than during the TQ and FQ for both males and females, respectively. The mean HR during static exercise during the NM and FM for both males and females was significantly higher than that during the FQ (p < .05) and TQ (p < .01). It appears from the present study that lunar phases may affect fasting plasma glucose level and cardiovascular functions of aged type 2 diabetic patients both at rest and during exercise.
This chapter provides a comprehensive reference on emergency and critical care medicine for veterinary technicians of all skill levels, and veterinary assistants. One of the most important skills for the emergency and critical care veterinary nurse is the ability to triage patients quickly and appropriately. Failure to triage a case appropriately may mean the difference between life and death for the patient. The primary assessment will determine if the animal is having a true emergency and needs immediate treatment or if it is stable enough to wait to be seen. The central nervous, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems are the primary systems to initially evaluate during triage because they determine whether the condition is a rapidly life‐threatening emergency or not. There are two human methods that can be used for efficient triage during a disaster: Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START); and Secondary Assessment of Victim Endpoint (SAVE). Both methods are widely accepted in the veterinary community.
The debate about how far the Moon causes biological effects has continued for two millennia. Pliny the Elder argued for lunar power "penetrating all things", including plants, fish, animals and humans. He also linked the Moon with tides, confirmed mathematically by Newton. A review of modern studies of biological effects, especially from plants and animals, confirms the pervasive nature of this lunar force. However calculations from physics and other arguments refute the supposed mechanisms of gravity and light. Recent space exploration allows a new approach with evidence of electromagnetic fields associated with the Earth's magnetotail at full moon during the night, and similar, but more limited, effects from the Moon's wake on the magnetosphere at new moon during the day. The disturbance of the magnetotail is perhaps shown by measurements of electric fields of up to 16V/m compared with the usual <1V/m, suggesting the possibility of weak biological effects on some sensitive organisms. Similar intensities found in sferics, geomagnetic storms, aurora disturbance, sensations of a 'presence' and pre-seismic electromagnetic radiation are known to affect animals and 10-20% of the human population. There is now evidence for mechanisms such as calcium flux, melatonin disruption, magnetite and cryptochromes. Both environmental and receptor variations explain confounding factors and inconsistencies in the evidence. Electromagnetic effects might also account for some evolutionary changes. Further research on lunar biological effects, such as acute myocardial infarction, could help the development of strategies to reduce adverse effects for people sensitive to geomagnetic disturbance.
Objective – To interrogate the association of variables: day of week, time of day, day of the year (major holidays, Friday the 13th, and the full moon), and month of year with the caseload of an urban academic emergency service.
Design – Retrospective study.
Setting – Urban small animal teaching hospital emergency clinic.
Animals – Cats and dogs that were presented to the emergency clinic.
Interventions – None.
Measurements and Main Results – The hospital computer database was searched for all visits to the Emergency Service of the Mathew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from January 1, 1987 through December 31, 2002. Variables included in the electronic data were date of admission, time of day of admission, species (dog or cat), hospital service the case was transferred to for ongoing care and whether the case was discharged directly from the emergency service. The association of caseload with day of week, time of day, day of the year (major holidays, Friday the 13th, and the full moon), and month of year was described and statistically evaluated. Saturdays and Sundays were the busiest days of the week and significantly increased caseload was noted for the majority of holidays (except Easter Day and Thanksgiving Day) with Memorial Day being the busiest. Midweek evenings as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoons were the busiest periods of the day. There was no association with caseload and Halloween, the full moon, or Friday the 13th.
Conclusions – The busiest times were midweek evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and most major holidays.
Epileptic seizures in 211 canine and feline patients diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy were evaluated for temporal significance in relation to the lunar cycle. Seizure counts were compared among each of the eight individual lunar phases, among each of eight exact lunar phase dates, and by percent of lunar illumination using generalized estimating equations. No statistical significance was found in any of these comparisons excluding a relationship between the onset of epileptic seizures and the phases of the moon. Alteration in anticonvulsant treatment or monitoring of canine and feline patients with idiopathic epilepsy at large was not warranted based on the lunar cycle.
Objective To assess whether dog bites requiring hospital admission occur more at the full moon. Design Review of dates of admission for dog bites to accident and emergency departments,June 1997 to June 1998, compared with dates of the full moon. Setting All public hospitals in Australia. Main outcome measures Admissions for dog bites. Results 12 peak clusters of admissions were unrelated to the time of the full moon. Conclusion Dog bites are no more frequent on full moons than at any other time of the month. Sceptics rejoice.
To test the hypothesis that the incidence of animal bites increases at the time of a full moon.
Retrospective observational analysis.
Accident and emergency department at a general hospital in an English city.
1621 consecutive patients, irrespective of age and sex.
Number of patients who attended an accident and emergency department during 1997 to 1999 after being bitten by an animal. The number of bites in each day was compared with the lunar phase in each month.
The incidence of animal bites rose significantly at the time of a full moon. With the period of the full moon as the reference period, the incidence rate ratio of the bites for all other periods of the lunar cycle was significantly lower (P <0.001).
The full moon is associated with a significant increase in animal bites to humans.
Human and animal physiology are subject to seasonal, lunar, and circadian rhythms. Although the seasonal and circadian rhythms have been fairly well described, little is known about the effects of the lunar cycle on the behavior and physiology of humans and animals. The lunar cycle has an impact on human reproduction, in particular fertility, menstruation, and birth rate. Melatonin levels appear to correlate with the menstrual cycle. Admittance to hospitals and emergency units because of various causes (cardiovascular and acute coronary events, variceal hemorrhage, diarrhea, urinary retention) correlated with moon phases. In addition, other events associated with human behavior, such as traffic accidents, crimes, and suicides, appeared to be influenced by the lunar cycle. However, a number of reports find no correlation between the lunar cycle and human reproduction and admittance to clinics and emergency units. Animal studies revealed that the lunar cycle may affect hormonal changes early in phylogenesis (insects). In fish the lunar clock influences reproduction and involves the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. In birds, the daily variations in melatonin and corticosterone disappear during full-moon days. The lunar cycle also exerts effects on laboratory rats with regard to taste sensitivity and the ultrastructure of pineal gland cells. Cyclic variations related to the moon's phases in the magnitude of the humoral immune response of mice to polivinylpyrrolidone and sheep erythrocytes were also described. It is suggested that melatonin and endogenous steroids may mediate the described cyclic alterations of physiological processes. The release of neurohormones may be triggered by the electromagnetic radiation and/or the gravitational pull of the moon. Although the exact mechanism of the moon's influence on humans and animals awaits further exploration, knowledge of this kind of biorhythm may be helpful in police surveillance, medical practice, and investigations involving laboratory animals.
Objective: It is commonly believed that the full moon exerts an influence on violence and aggression in psychiatric settings. The literature to date is contentious. This study used a robust methodology to examine the hypothesis that there was an increased frequency of violent and aggressive behaviour among hospitalised psychiatric clients at the time of the full moon. Method: Prospective data were collected in five inpatient psychiatric settings across the Northern Sydney Area Health Service. Morrison’s hierarchy of violence and aggression was used to rate behaviour. Lunar phases were clearly defined and Poisson regression used to examine relationships between lunar phase and violence. Extraneous temporal variation was considered. Results: No significant relationship was found between total violence and aggression or level of violence and aggression and any phase of the moon. Conclusion: Future research could profitably examine the implications of a belief in the lunar effect among health workers in the face of evidence that no relationship exists between violence, aggression and the lunar cycle.
The lunar hypothesis, that is, the notion that lunar phases can directly affect human behavior, was tested by time-series analysis of 4,575 crisis center telephone calls (all calls recorded for a 6-month interval). As expected, the lunar hypothesis was not supported. The 28-day lunar cycle accounted for less than 1% of the variance of the frequency of crisis center calls. Also, as hypothesized from an attribution theory framework, crisis center workers reported significantly greater belief in lunar effects than a non-crisis-center-worker comparison group.
There exists a popular belief in the causal relationship between the moon's phase and the incidence of major trauma. In this retrospective study we reviewed 1,444 trauma victims admitted to the hospital during one calendar year. Full moons were defined as three-day periods in the 29.531-day lunar cycle, with the middle day being described in the world almanac as the full moon. Victims of violence included those patients sustaining blunt assault, gunshot wounds, and stabbings. There was no statistical difference in number of trauma admissions between the full moon, 129 patients per 36 days (mean, 3.58), and nonfull moon days, 1,315 patients per 330 days (mean, 3.98). Mortality rate, 5.4% versus 10.3%; mean Injury Severity Score, 13 versus 15; and mean length of stay, ten versus 12 days, were not significantly different during the full moon and nonfull moon days. Victims of violence were admitted at a similar frequency on full moon, 16 patients per 36 days (mean, 0.444), and nonfull moon days, 183 patients per 330 days (mean, 0.555). We conclude that the belief in the deleterious effects of the full moon on major trauma is statistically unfounded.
Questionnaires sent to 325 people indicated that 140 people (43%) held the personal belief that lunar phenomena alter individual behavior. Specifically, mental health professionals (social workers, master's clinical psychologists, nurses' aides, LPNs) held this belief more strongly than other occupational groups.
To determine if there is any effect of the full moon on emergency department (ED) patient volume, ambulance runs, admissions, or admissions to a monitored unit, a retrospective analysis of the hospital electronic records of all patients seen in an ED during a 4-year period was conducted in an ED of a suburban community hospital. A full moon occurred 49 times during the study period. There were 150,999 patient visits to the ED during the study period, of which 34,649 patients arrived by ambulance. A total of 35,087 patients was admitted to the hospital and 11,278 patients were admitted to a monitored unit. No significant differences were found in total patient visits, ambulance runs, admissions to the hospital, or admissions to a monitored unit on days of the full moon. The occurrence of a full moon has no effect on ED patient volume, ambulance runs, admissions, or admissions to a monitored unit.
The influence of the moon on patient consultations for anxiety or depression in general practice was assessed through a retrospective survey based on general practice medical records and on lunar records detailing the dates and times of different phases of the moon. Seven-hundred-eighty-two patients continuously registered in a general practice in Beckenham, South London, between 1971 and 1988 were included in analyses. No statistically significant lunar effect was found by setting the expected surge in consultations one to three days after the full moon and the period of the sine-wave curve to 30 days. Similarly, no statistically significant lunar effect was found, when the period of the sine-wave curve was allowed to vary in order to best fit the data. The moon had little influence on when individuals consulted their general practitioner with anxiety or depression.
It is commonly believed that the full moon exerts an influence on violence and aggression in psychiatric settings. The literature to date is contentious. This study used a robust methodology to examine the hypothesis that there was an increased frequency of violent and aggressive behaviour among hospitalised psychiatric clients at the time of the full moon.
Prospective data were collected in five inpatient psychiatric settings across the Northern Sydney Area Health Service. Morrison's hierarchy of violence and aggression was used to rate behaviour. Lunar phases were clearly defined and Poisson regression used to examine relationships between lunar phase and violence. Extraneous temporal variation was considered.
No significant relationship was found between total violence and aggression or level of violence and aggression and any phase of the moon.
Future research could profitably examine the implications of a belief in the lunar effect among health workers in the face of evidence that no relationship exists between violence, aggression and the lunar cycle.
Belief that the full moon is associated with psychiatric disturbance persists despite 50 years research showing no association. This article traces the historical roots of belief in the power of the moon to cause disorders the mind, especially insanity and epilepsy. Putative mechanisms of lunar action are critiqued. It is proposed that modern findings showing lack of lunar effect can be reconciled with pre-modern beliefs in the moon's power through a mechanism of sleep deprivation. Prior to the advent of modern lighting the moon was a significant source of nocturnal illumination that affected sleep-wake cycle, tending to cause sleep deprivation around the time of full moon. This partial sleep deprivation would have been sufficient to induce mania/hypomania in susceptible bipolar patients and seizures in patients with seizure disorders. The advent of modern lighting attenuated this lunar effect, especially in modern urban areas, where most 20th century studies of lunar effects on the mind have been conducted. The hypothesis presented in this article is open to empirical validation or falsification. Potential tests for the sleep-deprivation hypothesis of lunar action are discussed.
The effect of the full moon on human behaviour, the so-called 'Transylvania hypothesis', has fascinated the public and occupied the mind of researchers for centuries.
The aim of the present study was to determine whether or not there was any change in general practice consultation patterns around the time of the full moon.
We analysed data from the fourth national morbidity study of general practice. The data set was split into two groups and analysed separately: consultations on ordinary weekdays and consultations on weekends and bank holidays. The data were split randomly into two equal sets, one for model building and one for model validation. The lunar cycle effect was assumed to be sinusoidal, on the grounds that any effect would be maximal at the time of the full moon and decline to the new moon, following a cosine curve (with a period of 29.54 days, the mean length of a lunar cycle).
There was a statistically significant, but small, effect associated with the lunar cycle of 1.8% of the mean value [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9-2.7%]. This equates to an average difference between the two extremes during the cycle of 3.6%. For this data set, this accounts for 190 (95% CI 95-285) more consultations on days at the peak of the cycle compared with those at the bottom of the cycle, or, put another way, about three consultations per practice.
We can speculate neither as to what the nature of these moon-related problems may be, nor as to the mechanisms underpinning such behaviour. However, we have confirmed that it does not seem to be related to anxiety and depression.
We conducted a study using a newly developed dataset based on Emergency Departments records of a network of hospitals from Greece on injuries from dog bites. Our goal is three-fold: (a) to investigate if surrogate factors of leisure time are associated with increased risk of injury from bites; (b) to address recently reported contradictory results on putative association of lunar periods and injuries from dog bites; and (c) to offer a general methodology for addressing similar case-only designs with combined factors of which some can exhibit cyclical patterns. To address these goals, we used a case-only design of our dataset, and conducted an analysis where we controlled simultaneously for weekday/weekend effects, season of year (winter, spring/fall, summer), and lunar periods, because any one of these factors can contribute to the degree of exposure to injuries from dog bites. We found that increased risk of injury from bites was associated with weekends versus weekdays (RR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.10-1.29), summer versus winter (RR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.11-1.39), and fall or spring versus winter (RR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.19-1.45). The results support the hypothesis that longer leisure time at these levels of factors does increase the risk of having a bite injury. Moreover, after controlling for these factors, risk of bite injury was not associated with moon periods, thereby also helping settle a longstanding argument.
To study the relationship between the full moon and oral and maxillofacial emergencies.
Retrospective analysis of 2416 referrals to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, St. Bartholomews and The Royal London Hospital, London, over a 16-month period (17 lunar months). Frequency distributions were used to assess emergency workload during the week of the full moon.
There was a rise in referrals in the latter part of the 7-day period surrounding the full moon. There was a persistent reduction in emergency workload in the 3-day period leading up to the full moon. The results approach but do not reach significance.
The effect of the moon on oral and maxillofacial referrals cannot be proven.
It is widely believed that the incidence of specific emergency cases shows clustering during long observation periods. Though there is no scientific proof, many physicians and other emergency staff believe in influences of the moon or the signs of the zodiac. The aim of our retrospective study over 6 years was to evaluate (a) if there are any statistically documented peaks of frequency of emergency cases at all, and (b) if they can be linked to lunar phenomena. We evaluated all three aspects of the moon: The 'synodic' moon (=lunar phases), the 'sideric' moon (=distance between moon and the earth) and the moon in her relation to the signs of the zodiac (=influence of the zodiac). A total of 11134 patients entered the study. We found highly significant clusters of emergency calls, mainly for lung disorders. However, neither aspect of the moon showed the slightest correlation with the frequency of emergency calls (sideric month (P=0.99), synodic month (P=0.85) and zodiac (P=0.85)). Trigonometric regression with the period of the anomalistic month (P=0.173) and with the synodic month (P=0.28) did not show any influence of the moon on emergency in either cases. Though our retrospective data analysis documented clustering of emergency cases, any influence of the moon and the signs of the zodiac can be definitely ruled out.
To determine the effect of the phase of the full and new moon on the variation in the number of daily cardiopulmonary resuscitations.
A retrospective analysis of a computerized billing database of emergency department visits in a cohort of seven northern New Jersey (USA) emergency departments.
Consecutive patients seen by emergency department physicians over an 11-year period (1 January 1988 to 31 December 1998). We determined the timing of full and new moon days from the National Oceanographic and Aeronautic Administration website.
Time series regression estimated the independent effect of full and new moon days on the daily variation in cardiopulmonary resuscitations. Tests of statistical significance were made at alpha=0.05.
A total of 2 370 233 emergency department visits were made during the 4018-day period of study. A total of 6827 had an emergency department diagnosis of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We found no significant difference in the occurrence of cardiopulmonary resuscitations during the full moon (P=0.97). On average there were 6.5% fewer cardiopulmonary resuscitations during new moon days (P=0.02; 95% confidence interval 1.3-11.7%).
Contrary to the traditional belief that more cardiopulmonary resuscitations occur during the full moon, we were unable to identify a significant effect during full moon days. However, there were on average 6.5% fewer cardiopulmonary resuscitations during new moon days than other days.
The purpose of this study was to investigate an ancient hypothesis; the moon effect might increase incidence of injuries and hence admission of patients with trauma to Emergency Rooms (ERs) on full moon days.
During thirteen months, 58000 trauma patients admitted in three hospitals that had the highest load of trauma patients in Tehran were studied. Due to lack of complete data, 3543 patients (6.1%) were excluded from the study, leaving 54457 cases for further analysis. We selected lunar calendar for our study, so dates of patients' admissions were converted to lunar months and three day- periods with 15th as middle day were defined as full moon days.
In our study the number of trauma patients was not increased during the full moon days against other days of lunar month. Statistical analyses of data didn't exhibit a positive relation between full moon days and increasing of trauma patient admission to ERs. An association between assault and attempted suicide was not observed around the full moon days either. The results did not show significant reduction of GCS score of patients on full moon days and there was not any increase in severity of traumatic injury sustained during full moon days.
It seems necessary to conduct studies regarding the probability of moon effect through on different database, geographic areas and for appropriate periods in order to reach a conclusive result.
It is well established in the scientific literature that animal prey species reduce their activity at times of high predation risk. In the case of nocturnal animals this occurs when there is a full moon; however, the response of predators to the changes in their prey behaviour is relatively unknown. Two responses are possible: (1) increase in search effort to maintain food intake; or (2) decrease in distance travelled due to either: (a) an effort to conserve energy or (b) increased kill efficiency. Using GPS tracking collars we monitored the distances travelled (which is representative of search effort) by three maned wolves during the night of the full and new moon for five lunar cycles (during the dry season). A Wilcoxon matched-paired test showed that the maned wolves travelled significantly less during the full compared to the new moon (p < 0.05). On average, during the 10 h of darkness during a full moon maned wolves travelled 1.88 km less than on a new moon. These data suggest that maned wolves respond to temporally reduced prey availability by reducing their distance travelled.
This paper describes a simple method of calculating a heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent covariance matrix that is positive semi-definite by construction. It also establishes consistency of the estimated covariance matrix under fairly general conditions.
Stata Statistical Software: Release 9.2. College Station, TX
- Statacorp
StataCorp. Stata Statistical Software: Release 9.2. College Station, TX, 2006
- Alves DW