All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

hysteria

The Salem Witch Trials: "Trial of George Jacobs, August 5, 1692" by Thomkins H. Matteson. Source: Public domain

Salem Witch Trial Hysteria and the Courageous Stance of Giles Corey

In Spring of 1692, a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, accused others in their village of practicing witchcraft, unleashing a hysteria that caused the deaths of at least 24 people...
Broken Roman statue. Source: Dmitry / Adobe Stock.

Tourist Smashes ‘Blasphemous’ Roman Statues Citing Jerusalem Syndrome as Defense

A violent American tourist has been arrested for destroying ancient Roman statues at a museum in Jerusalem. In his defence, the man is claiming he suffered from “Jerusalem Syndrome,” an alleged...
Koro is the extreme fear of genital shrinkage or retraction. Source: Kate / Adobe Stock.

Koro is an Ancient Psychiatric Condition Involving Fear of Genital Shrinkage

The annals of ancient Chinese literature are rife with fascinating tales and medical accounts, some stranger than others. Among them is " Koro ", a delusional disorder that embodies a peculiar blend...
Priest conducting an exorcism. Source:  lunamarina / Adobe Stock

Demonic Possession and the Ancient Practice of Exorcism on the Rise?

Belief in malevolent spirits inhabiting the human body has persisted across cultures for millennia. During the Middle Ages, exorcisms were commonplace to rid individuals of supposed demonic...
The monster of London going to take his afternoons luncheon, in an etching by James Gillray. Source: Public domain

Sadistic Serial Slasher Inspired a Trend in Bottom Guards

While the infamous Jack the Ripper and his legendary killing spree in the 19th century is the stuff of legends, few have heard of another forgotten assailant who terrorized the streets of London just...
Mass hysteria. Source: Photographee.eu / Adobe Stock

Bizarre and Horrifying Cases of Mass Hysteria Through History

Mass hysteria is a term used to describe the situation in which physical or psychological symptoms appear en masse, spreading rapidly throughout communities, and occasionally across whole cities and...
Hysteria was a term used to diagnosis wandering womb a female medical condition branded by ancient Greeks. Source: rodjulian / Adobe Stock

Beware the Wandering Wombs of Hysterical Women

From ancient Greek physician Hippocrates to the infamous doctor Isaac Baker Brown of the 19th century, the pains and ailments of women were thought to be because of a ‘wandering womb’, better known...
Old engraving depicting a coven.

The Zugarramurdi Witch Trials: Welcome to the Spanish Salem

On the border with France, embraced by a vast green pasture on which the cows calmly graze, lies the village of Zugarramurdi. Located in the Navarre region of Xareta this tiny village currently has...