Breakdown of normal threshold dispersion relation for the vacuum polarization

Stating a concrete example, it is shown that the vacuum polarization develops anomalous singularities. The analytic structure of the vacuum polarization in these circumstances is discussed in some detail. It appears that its large q² behaviour is not linked anymore to the asymptotic form of the e⁺e^? total cross section. Since it is the large q² behaviour of the vacuum polarization which solely can be calculated in asymptotically free gauge theories (giving in leading order the naive quark model result), this is a warning to using the naive quark model result for the e⁺e^? total cross section as well in fitting the data.