<p>In September, 1944, the residents of Mattoon, a small city in eastern Illinois, were terrified by reports of a mysterious intruder who was spraying a noxious gas into homes and making people sick. The victims claimed to have suffered lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, and even paralysis, symptoms that subsided only after several hours. The local newspaper announced the first attack with a six-column headline and followed up with nearly daily reports. Soon the “mad gasser of Mattoon” (also called the “phantom anesthetist,” “gas maniac,” and “fiendish night prowler”) became known to newspaper readers across the country.</p><p>Eventually, at least 36 people claimed to have been attacked by the Mattoon gasser. Yet the police and roaming bands of armed citizens never managed to find him, and in a couple of weeks the reports ceased as suddenly as they had begun. A year later, Donald Johnson (1945) published a classic article on the episode in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, analyzing it as an instance of mass hysteria. Since then, the case has often appeared in introductory sociology and social psychology texts.</p><p>In Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias, sociologist Robert Bartholomew and journalist Benjamin Radford retell this study and, along with four
Flying Saucers and Shrinking Genitals
Abstract
<p>In September, 1944, the residents of Mattoon, a small city in eastern Illinois, were terrified by reports of a mysterious intruder who was spraying a noxious gas into homes and making people sick. The victims claimed to have suffered lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, and even paralysis, symptoms that subsided only after several hours. The local newspaper announced the first attack with a six-column headline and followed up with nearly daily reports. Soon the “mad gasser of Mattoon” (also called the “phantom anesthetist,” “gas maniac,” and “fiendish night prowler”) became known to newspaper readers across the country.</p><p>Eventually, at least 36 people claimed to have been attacked by the Mattoon gasser. Yet the police and roaming bands of armed citizens never managed to find him, and in a couple of weeks the reports ceased as suddenly as they had begun. A year later, Donald Johnson (1945) published a classic article on the episode in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, analyzing it as an instance of mass hysteria. Since then, the case has often appeared in introductory sociology and social psychology texts.</p><p>In Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias, sociologist Robert Bartholomew and journalist Benjamin Radford retell this study and, along with fourPreview Only. This article cannot be rented because we do not currently have permission from the publisher.
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Flying Saucers and Shrinking Genitals
Wade, Carole
Follow Contemporary Psychology
, Volume 49 (6): 759
PsycCRITIQUES® – Dec 1, 2004
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