Investigating Morgellons Syndrome
What is Morgellons?
Morgellons has been variously described as "nasty", "mysterious", "creepy", "bizzare", "the plague", "a weird, alien bug", and like an "episode from the X-Files" and that is just in the respectable press!
Go online and you will find mind-blowing theories of sinister conspiracies, military applications of the latest technological and medical breakthroughs such as nano-technology, diseases deliberately spread by airplane chem-trails and much, much more. So... what is Morgellons?
Morgellons is a growing global phenomenon, the true nature of which is currently unclear: is it a hideous new 21st century disease, or is it simply old hysteria transmitted by modern means?
The initial symptoms are the appearance of hard to heal skin lesions or painful itchy rashes which noticeably discolour the skin. Within the lesions, or sometimes protruding from unbroken skin, are mysterious fibres of various colours (blue, red, black, white). See picture below.
Morgellons sufferers and some medical professionals say these are the mysterious fibres that Morgellons syndrome causes to develop in the human body.
Critics contend that Morgellons patients are delusional and images like these represent no more than common fibres, or lint, found in clothing and other everyday items.
These fibres are said to often cause pain when removal is attempted and are described as possessing other unusual properties, such as auto fluorescence and resistance to high temperatures. Then comes the fatigue, the hallucinations and, often, alienation from family, friends and society, along with a seemingly endless search for a sympathetic doctor.
The condition was named Morgellons by a biologist, Mary Leitao, whose infant son was suffering unusual symptoms. It is based on the mention of a strange fibre-generating condition, found exclusively in children, by Sir Thomas Browne in 1674, although closer examination reveals there are few similarities between the original manifestation and this present outbreak. The present outbreak affects mainly adults and is significantly different in many respects to the disease that Browne described over 300 years ago.
Morgellons Controversy
Almost the entirety of the debate concerning Morgellons revolves around the question of whether Morgellons is a 'real' physical condition, or a psychological one. A bitter controversy has developed between the two schools of thought.
The truth is that currently it is not possible to say with any certainty that Morgellons symptoms are caused by a physical disease entity (eg. bacteria), or, are a result of psychological processes.
Further adding to the already strange brew are the theories that can be found online linking the Morgellons outbreak to chemtrails, nano-technology and secret government bio-weapons.
Currently there are three undeniable facts regarding Morgellons disease. They are that;
- People are displaying debilitating symptoms and genuinely suffering
- No infectious entity has yet been established
- Most of the theories regarding Morgellons found online are not backed up by peer reviewed scientific research.
This site takes a historical approach to the issue of Morgellons disease, considering the history of patient symptoms as they have been presented to doctors over hundreds of years. The conditions under which new diseases are identified and recognised by the medical community are also considered. The result is to create a historical and social context through which to consider the Morgellons controversy.
Are You Suffering from Morgellons?
This site is not a medical site and so cannot offer medical advice. This site strongly advises that you do not visit Morgellons forums as the information and advice given on these sites can often be questionable at best. The Mayo Clinic is a renowned medical facility and it is one of the few medical establishments that recognises the possibility of Morgellons Syndrome. Click here to go to the Mayo Clinic's Morgellons page. You can always come back to Morgellons Truth later.
Navigating the Site
The site is designed to be read in a partcular order. The sidebar to the top right of your screen (scroll up from here to view) displays that order and the sections under the green headings are clickable links. The sidebar appears on every page so it is possible to navigate to any page on the site from any other page.
To enable easy navigation sequentially through the site there is also a clickable link at the bottom of each page which will take you to the next page.