Wong S W, Kwong B, Tam Y K, Tsoi M M
Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1982 Jun;65(6):421-36. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1982.tb00866.x.
A total of 413 school students were taken ill with symptoms from an alleged poisonous gas affecting two different geographic locations at the same time and without influencing the residents in the neighbourhood. Symptoms were mainly subjective and almost all were discharged from hospital the same day. Vigorous endeavours by authorities had failed to discover the offending agent. By the use of epidemiological methods, the present study attempted to investigate the nature of and the significant contributing factors related to the episode. The psychological nature was confirmed both by demonstration of positive characteristics as well as by the exclusion of organicity. There was no direct evidence that teachers, headmasters, parents or the mass media had significant influence on the aetiology of the epidemic, albeit their influence could still be an indirect one. Regarding symptom formation, there was evidence that peer influences were more important than an individual's own previous experiences.
共有413名学生患病，症状表现为由一种疑似有毒气体导致，该气体同时影响了两个不同的地理位置，且未对周边居民造成影响。症状主要为主观感受，几乎所有患者都在当天出院。当局大力调查却未能找出致病源。本研究运用流行病学方法，试图调查此次事件的性质及相关重要影响因素。通过呈现积极特征以及排除器质性病变，证实了其心理性质。没有直接证据表明教师、校长、家长或大众媒体对此次疫情的病因有重大影响，尽管他们的影响仍可能是间接的。关于症状形成，有证据表明同伴影响比个人以往经历更为重要。
