 In Japan , kitsunetsuki was noted as a disease as early as the <unk> period and remained a common diagnosis for mental illness until the early 20th century . Possession was the explanation for the abnormal behavior displayed by the afflicted individuals . In the late 19th century , Dr. <unk> <unk> noted that physical diseases that caused fever were often considered kitsunetsuki . The belief has lost favor , but stories of fox possession still occur , such as allegations that members of the <unk> <unk> cult had been possessed . 
