Werewolves in our own backyards

A werewolf also known as lycanthrope is a mythological or folklore human with the ability to change into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse. They have superhuman strength, speed and senses far beyond those of both wolves and men. Some writers equate these 'werewolves' to present era's serial killers.
Hence, a number of explanations are given about the origin and development of these werewolves. The outstanding feature of these creatures is the aggressive and violent attack on victims leading to gruesome killing with mutilation, disfigurement and dismemberment of the body. It is said that such werewolves exist in mythical stories but examining Darwin's theory of evolution, it would not be out of context to say that a number of human beings do carry such characteristics and we often hear and witness the beastly atrocities perpetrated by the present day's more human being like wolves.
There are characteristics of violence and murders which are either simple murders or severe torture leading to murders. One can easily classify non-simple murders as that committed by a 'werewolf'. We have a number of examples from Pakistan. The recent publicised case of Fakhira who was a victim of acid attack leading to disfigurement of her face and her eventual suicide is an eye-opener. This is not just one case as a number of women and young girls have been subjected to this atrocity. The perpetrators in such cases cannot be 'human beings' by definition.
Few years ago, a man killed a large number of innocent children in Lahore and dumped their bodies in the acid pool in order to get the bodies disintegrated and dissolved. This was a heinous example in the history of barbarism. There was case report in the media about two men who were involved in eating corpses after digging them out of the graves. One of these men mentioned eating two of his dead children. There are ongoing reports about chopping lips and nose of women victims by their spouses or other relatives during violent altercations.
It is imperative to note that those involved in mutilation do harbour beast-like traits that are akin to mythical werewolves. It is often mentioned in fiction that full moon nights lead to escalation of aggressive behaviour among those who are mentally ill. Though mentioned in fiction, there is a grain of truth in this phenomenon. Atmospheric changes do have their turbulent effects on human psyche. Those who are psychologically fragile do succumb more to these effects.
While disturbed psyche may play a vital role in perpetration of these crimes and development of brains of these individuals remains out of normal proportions in terms of pathology in the limbic area of brain and something have to do with the frontal lobe of brain that need wider exploration by the scientists.
Serial killers are notoriously known for inhuman acts committed to their victims. The plot of the movie "Silence of lambs" depicted the character of a ruthless psychopath who happened to be a former psychiatrist. A person known to suffer from a serious illness 'Schizophrenia' killed a passenger travelling in a bus in Canada. He not only killed but ripped the victim's heart and pulled out the eyes.
A perpetual crime that is still going on abated is known as'Karo-Kari' or 'Honour Killings' and in a number of such cases violent physical injuries associated with physical mutilation were examples of werewolf-like act. In 2000, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimated that there were at least 5,000 honour killings world-wide annually, which may be an underestimate because many cases go unreported or are falsely reported as suicides. Although this practice is currently primarily associated in media reports with certain Arab cultures, variations of harmful cultural practices toward women involving violence based on notions of honour have been known in many cultures world-wide and also in historical times.
Over the past decade, human rights groups have given more exposure and coverage to honour-based killings. Honour killings can occur within a wide range of communities of varying cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds and have been reported around the world including in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, the United States of America, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Germany. While honour killings take place in many regions of the world, laws in some countries also reflect socio-cultural attitudes that underline such killings.
We also come across people who would not only endorse and appreciate these acts but also participate and watch this happening. The example of two brothers who were killed brutally by a mob in Sialkot even in the presence of policemen is enough to confirm the existence of 'werewolves' in our society.
According to Wikipedia," various methods have existed for removing the werewolf form. In antiquity, the Ancient Greeks and Romans believed in the power of exhaustion in curing people of lycanthropy. The victim would be subjected to long periods of physical activity in the hope of being purged of the malady. This practice stemmed from the fact that many alleged werewolves would be left feeling weak and debilitated after committing depredations.
In medieval Europe, traditionally, there are three methods one can use to cure a victim of werewolfism; medicinally surgically or by exorcism. However, many of the cures advocated by medieval medical practitioners proved fatal to the patients. A Sicilian belief of Arabic origin holds that a werewolf can be cured of its ailment by striking it on the forehead or scalp with a knife. Another belief from the same culture involves the piercing of the werewolf's hands with nails. Sometimes, less extreme methods were used. In the German lowland of Schleswig-Holstein, a werewolf could be cured if one were to simply address it three times by its Christian name, while one Danish belief holds that simply scolding a werewolf will cure it".These are probably the mythical methods that are used to cure the werewolf effect but what about the modern day wolves. The curse is escalating day by day specially in a country like Pakistan where we have numerous other problems that are having serious impact on the survival of the nation.
(The writer is a Professor of Psychiatry at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.)