This was an interesting podcast that I listened to in a day. The topic was interesting but I do wish there had been a few more psychologists involved in discussing the topic addressed in this podcast. I think the last episode was my favorite not just because of the nuanced conclusion but the story about the orcas.

Great storytelling, incredibly interesting subject matter.

Most doctors subscribe to the idea, that if they can’t figure out whats wrong with someone with the very limited knowledge they actually have of the mysterious human body and this world, especially women’s bodies, they blame it on psychological reasons in the patient or gaslight women. It’s a super easy way to say, not my problem, it’s yours. I’m a great doctor, it’s just in your head. It’s just as likely that the girls suffered from some undiscovered ailment, than from what I would call, let’s blame the patients mental health. There’s literally no blood test or black & white proof that it was the patients mental health (conversion), none. Why is conversion the obvious conclusion, it’s just as obvious as any other unknown possibility. Conversion is just the “easy” answer for doctors who can’t stand that they “failed”, that their knowledge is actually extremely limited. Instead, the humble answer is, we don’t know what happened.

This podcast is so well done. The editing is fantastic and I love the way he explores the different threads and theories. Great storytelling. Sometimes thing like the pronunciation debate and the jello salad bits bother me too much, but I think he pulled them off for the most part.

Great podcast so far! I had to write in to say though that I’m a Bills fan from the Southtowns, and I’m definitely not drunk! Boo for the generalization. Maybe you could’ve said the Bills fans are generous and don’t like tables 😊

I really liked this story and the way that it was presented and the different theories that were tested and the different examples of mass hysteria in different places around the world. I thought it was very cleverly put together.

It’s been a while since I listened to this, but I saw it pop up on my feed and was reminded by how disappointing I found this. There is not a whole lot here except for speculation and call backs to the unjustified murders of women for the same reasons that are driving interest in this podcast. Also, we stopped using the term hysterical about 20 years ago. Hysteria is a made up illness also used to kill and imprison women. Super disappointing and lazy.

an intriguing take on mass hysteria centered around an illness in a small US town in the 2010s. despite going into this not expecting a definitive answer - i did xpect to get bored and trail off into another podcast or subject within two or three episodes. that did not happen. the themes were exploratory and traversed past the themes in which a novice has likely found upon looking into this phenomenon. the interviews were thoughtful. it was well organized. the host was great. he seemed kind while candid. i love that he brought up somethubg that came up when producing the show, and that was him being confronted by producers to be a bit more assertive or confrontational when interviewing. his answer was brief but said it all, something akin to “it was far more uncomfortable than i imagined”. this something relatable for most people interested in this subject and also the way the podcast was edited and the questions he asked… he didn’t need to confront that woman. he assumed the audience is smart enough to draw a certain conclusion and boy is subtly nice for a change. i hate having everything spelled out… glad I found this, what a little jam I’ve shared it with three people so far PS if you pay $4/m there aren’t any ads (just saw slme bad reviews bc of the amount of ads - how do y’all think this shh gets made? charity?)

This is a great podcast! I love Dan Taberski’s reporting and all of the podcasts he has done

I’ve long been interested in this story and was excited to find this podcast. I’m still in the first episode and enjoying it so far, except for all the ads. The ep isn’t even that long and I’ve already slogged through four ad breaks. I know that ads are necessary, etc. etc., but this is a disproportionate number. It’s frustrating and offputting enough to make me give up on listening.