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'Lunatic' comes from Late Latin lunaticus, 'moonstruck', from luna, 'moon'. For centuries people believed the Moon's phases could bring on madness or epileptic fits, and the word carried that belief into English in the late 13th century.

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The Roman writer Pliny the Elder argued that the full moon could bring on madness and epilepsy through its effect on the brain. The idea lasted for centuries and found its way into law: in England, the Lunacy Acts of 1890 to 1922 still spoke of 'lunatics' until the Mental Treatment Act 1930 replaced the term, and the United States removed 'lunatic' from its federal laws only in 2012. Modern researchers have looked hard for a full-moon effect. A 1985 review of 37 studies found no reliable link between the phases of the Moon and human behaviour, and nearly half of the studies that had claimed one contained at least one statistical error.

Türkçe oku
İngilizcedeki “lunatic” (deli), Geç Latincede “ay çarpmış” anlamına gelen lunaticus'tan, o da “ay” demek olan luna'dan gelir. Yüzyıllar boyunca Ay'ın evrelerinin delilik ya da sara nöbetleri getirdiğine inanıldı; sözcük bu inancı 13. yüzyılın sonunda İngilizceye taşıdı.

Romalı yazar Yaşlı Plinius, dolunayın beyni etkileyerek delilik ve sara nöbetlerini tetiklediğini savunuyordu. Bu düşünce yüzyıllarca yaşadı ve yasalara da girdi: İngiltere'de 1890–1922 tarihli Lunacy Acts (akıl hastalığı yasaları) hâlâ “lunatic” sözcüğünü kullanıyordu; terim ancak 1930'da çıkarılan Mental Treatment Act ile değiştirildi. ABD ise “lunatic” sözcüğünü federal yasalarından 2012'de çıkardı. Modern araştırmacılar dolunay etkisinin izini uzun süre sürdü. 37 çalışmayı değerlendiren 1985 tarihli bir analiz, Ay'ın evreleriyle insan davranışı arasında güvenilir bir bağ bulamadı; bağ bulduğunu öne süren çalışmaların neredeyse yarısında en az bir istatistik hatası vardı.

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Background reading: Lunatic
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