372 - The Pont-Saint-Esprit mass poisoning

In 1951, hundreds of residents of the small French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit were struck down by a mystery illness that caused mass hallucinations. People thought they were being chased by tigers, others grabbed weapons and chased each other, one man jumped into a river because he thought his belly was being eaten by snakes. What had caused this mass event? Was it as something as innocent as bad food, or was there something much more sinister afoot?This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 05:28 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoGoOnPodLive show tickets: https://dogoonpod.com/live-shows/  Submit a topic idea directly to the hat here Check out our new merch!  Twitter: @DoGoOnPodInstagram: @DoGoOnPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/Email us: [email protected] Check out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheatPrime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/ Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader Thomas Do Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present.  REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:BBCMental Floss NCBI GuardianNY Times Smithsonian Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.