Does the full moon give lawyers more clients? Erratic behavior can certainly cause problems for people. Is behavior affected by the full moon?
The word “lunatic”, derived from Latin, is defined as someone who has gone crazy for the moon. Describing someone as “dazzled by the moon” indicates the suggestion of markedly different behavior during the changes of the moon. Is the notion that bad things happen during a full moon just an urban legend or an old wives’ tale? Research shows evidence to the contrary.
Is there more crime during the full moon? The American Institute for Biomedical Climatology released a report to the Philadelphia Police Department regarding its findings on this topic. This report, “The Effect of the Full Moon on Human Behavior,” indicates that coinciding with the full moon there is a monthly spike in various psychotically oriented crimes such as murder, arson, dangerous driving, and kleptomania.
Dr. Arnold L. Lieber and Dr. Carolyn B. Sherin of the University of Miami recorded data on homicide statistics in Dade County, Florida, over a 15-year period. Throughout the period, 1,887 homicides increased and decreased in correlation with the phases of the moon. American Journal of Psychiatry 129 (1972), 69-74. They also examined more than 2,000 homicides over a 13-year period in Cleveland, Ohio, with similar statistical results.
Lieber explained that the body is a microism that compromises essentially the same elements and in similar proportions to the surface of the earth, 70% – 80% water and 20% – 30% minerals. Scientific studies have shown that the attraction of the moon affects the tide and changes in the earth’s surface. Therefore, it is crazy to think that the moon does not affect the “tides” of our bodies.
Interestingly, crime is not the only thing affected by the cycle of the moon. Dr. Edson J. Andrews reported in the Journal of the Florida Medical Association that, in a study of 1,000 tonsillectomies, 82% of postoperative bleeding crises occurred around the full moon than other lunar changes. In reality, this was despite scheduling fewer surgeries for full moons. (Journal of the Florida Medical Association). Does this result in more medical malpractice claims as a result of the time of surgery?
I have noticed that there are more clients getting divorced, especially after Christmas. They have mentioned that they just want the holidays to be happy for their children before a painful separation occurs. Now I wonder if the combination of holiday stress and potentially erratic behavior during a full moon is what dooms some marriages.
Law firms can appreciate the effects of the full moon by having more clients. If you don’t want to get into the situation of needing legal advice, be particularly cautious around full moons. By the way, for the next three months there will be a full moon on November 5 and December 5, 2006, and then on January 3, 2007. We all may want to plan accordingly.
