If you notice an increase in patients presenting with behavioural disturbances later this month it would not be totally irrational to blame the full moon, a review attempts to suggest.

Folklore has long given credence to the idea that lunar cycles have some effect on human health.

Sceptics will describe this as no more than an illusory correlation, but the belief does explain why the word ‘lunatic’ is listed in the Macquarie dictionary.

Professor Sunil Kumar, professor of medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in India, has reviewed 35 journal studies looking at health issues ranging from psychiatric disorders and birth rates to menstruation and complications during surgeries.