Skip to navigation | Skip to content  Do dogs bite more during a
full moon?  The power of the moon is often used to explain a
wide range of events - from human insanity to traffic accidents
- but do animals feel more inclined to bite humans during the
full moon than at other times? Two new studies have come up with
different answers.  This week's British Medical Journal (BMJ)
carries two studies - one from the UK which finds that you are
more likely to be bitten by a dog when the moon is full, and a
study from Australia which finds that you're not.  Chapman et
al. (Pic: <i>BMJ</i>)A study by Professor Simon Chapan and
Stehen Morrell of The University of Sydney showed no positive
relation between the full moon and dog bites requiring hospital
treatment. They compared dates of admission for dog bites to
public hospitals throughout Australia with dates of the full
moon, over a 12-month period.  Overall, full moon days were
associated with slightly lower admissions (4.6 compared with 4.8
per day). Of 18 peak days