The Laugh Club

How incredulous they must have been, those who read the New York Times story about the laughing epidemic. ‘Seizures last as long as an hour,’ wrote foreign correspondent Robert Conley, ‘victims feel restless, uneasy. Some complain of strange things moving around in their heads.’ Plausible explanations were few and far between. Some who heard the story thought it was a joke. But for those involved, the story was no laughing matter.

Chapter 1: South of Ulladulla