Werewolves have long been consigned to myth, but the idea of full moon madness has never quite gone away.
Until now, perhaps. A group of psychologists claim to have proved that the lunar cycle has no effect on our mental state - nor does it cause a rise in crime or injuries.
They analysed 771 hospital patients admitted to emergency wards over three years, in particular those with psychological problems, and found they were no more likely to come in during a full or new moon.
But the medical staff believed otherwise. Eighty per cent of nurses and 63 per cent of doctors questioned were convinced that they saw more patients with mental problems during a full moon than at any other time.
The researchers, at Universite Laval in Quebec, published the study in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.
