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"The diagnosis of hysteria in its epidemic form is not a slur on either the individuals or the institution involved," say McEvedy and Beard. "Whereas it is true that sporadic cases of hysterical disability often have disordered personalities, the hysterical reaction is part of everyone's potential and can be elicited in any individual by the right set of circumstances. A mass hysterical reaction shows not that the population is psychologically abnormal but merely that it is socially segregated and consists predominantly of young females."