Panic about maniacs lurking in the shadows ready to jab innocent girls with syringes dripping with evil drugs is nothing new. Similar episodes have been occurring for over a century. In this week's Monsters, Myths and Manias we uncover the hidden history of needle spiking and explain why the maniac with the syringe is a phantom of our imagination.

For a full history of needle spiking and other phantom attacker panics, see my book (co-authored with Robert Bartholomew): https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-97-4272-1