The Wind That Makes People Ill
When a warm, dry wind blows down from the Alps, people in Munich say they get headaches and bad tempers, and that accidents and arguments go up.
What was reported
The föhn is a warm, dry wind that blows down the northern side of the Alps, sometimes raising temperatures by many degrees in a few hours and giving the mountains an unnaturally sharp, clear look. In Munich, Innsbruck and Zurich, people have long blamed it for headaches, insomnia, irritability and gloom.
Some say it brings more accidents and crimes, and in the past German and Swiss courts were said to take it into account. Similar winds elsewhere, like the Santa Ana in California and the sirocco in the Mediterranean, have their own reputations for driving people mad.
Explanations offered
The föhn is caused by air rising over the mountains, losing its moisture as rain on one side, and then warming as it sinks down the other. Studies of its effects on health have mixed results: some people may be sensitive to rapid changes in pressure and temperature, but the strongest claims are not supported.
- When
- Blamed for centuries
- Where
- Munich, Bavaria, Germany
- Witnesses
- People living near the Alps
- Status
- Debated
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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