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On August 15th, 1951, an entire town in France fell ill. The first wave of patients had nausea, were agitated,

and complained of severe stomach pain. Some had vomiting and diarrhea, hot flashes followed by chills.

Many were drooling and their limbs were cold to the touch. The patients

were pale with lowered heart rates and at risk of fainting. Doctors were puzzled by how many

had dilated pupils by their diminished response to light. And then came the insomnia that

lasted for days, the digestive

disturbances, from upset stomachs to burning rectums. From the September 15th, 1951 edition

of the British Medical Journal. A state of giddiness persisted, accompanied by abundant sweating and a disagreeable odor.

The special odor struck both the patient and his attendance. Mice. The afflicted people,

they said, smelled musty and, well, like mice, like dead mice. These pale and limp patients showed inconspicuous trembling of the extremities.

They complained of disorders of visual accommodation and especially of being unable to read.

Disorders of visual accommodation?

Like words seeming to melt and run off the page.

Towards evening, visual hallucinations appeared, recalling those of alcoholism. The particular themes

were visions of animals and of flames. All these visions were fleeting and variable. In many of the patients, they were

followed by dreamy delirium. The delirium seemed to be systematized with animal hallucinations

and self-accusation, and it was sometimes mystical or macabre. In some cases, terrifying visions were followed by fugues,

and two patients even threw themselves out of windows.

What happened in that sleepy little French village in August 51?

And why do so many people suspect that the American CIA had a hand in it?

And they got a small beam of light against the year.

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