We are currently revisiting behaviours that first occurred with the Covid outbreak about three months ago. There was panic buying of some staples, such as tinned food, sauces and dry spaghetti, which makes at least a little sense. But another product that produced an almost hysterical agitation was toilet paper, which disappeared from the shelves almost as soon as it was put there.

There was much talk about this strange phenomenon for it is in all honesty really, really odd. It doesn't take a lot of people to clear a shelf if they are hoarding or planning to resell at a profit, so the number of folks actually doing the buying is unclear. It might be quite small. But the psychology behind it is puzzling, for what is the connection between a viral outbreak and the need to have 200 toilet rolls in the linen closet?

If you think about it, it is not difficult to think of ways to replace toilet paper in the short term. It is not something you have to have, for you won't perish for the lack of it, and you can't eat it. It is not worn on the body to ward against the elements, except, embarrassingly, by accident. Moreover, the panic to buy seems to have been triggered by scenes of people who were panic buying themselves, seen on the daily news and far less reliably on social media.

Is it the case that not buying somehow means "missing out"? Is a crisis really felt "in the bowels", as was the case in medieval times? Is one of the Riders of the Apoocalypse (surely, apocalypse? - ed.) in the saddle and shortly to be upon us?

I don't know. But if this is the extent of human endurance, to be able to think clearly and rationally even when the emotions are in the ascendant, then we are doomed. This is a mere paper-cut compared to what may be ahead.

The trials of Hercules.