The Fainting EpidemicIn October 1965, an all girls school in
Blackburn, England, experienced an unusually high number of
fainting cases. The faintings began amongst the 14-year-old
students but then steadily moved down through the younger school
population. In all, 85 students were rushed to the hospital
complaining of "swooning, moaning and chattering of teeth." How
romantic! An investigation of the incident in the year following
the fainting spell found that it was likely caused by a bizarre
conflagration of events. The girls had participated in a three-
hour parade which had caused 20 legitimate fainting spells and
there had been a recent polio epidemic. That left the
schoolgirls particularly prone to the suggestion that they, too,
were sick. Like us on facebook