A small self-promotion

I have a long story in the new (October) SELF Magazine: Morgellons mystery.

It is not about MRSA; it's about Morgellons, a syndrome which approximately 12,000 sufferers claim is a new, unrecognized disease, but which medical authorities say is a delusion. The story is a look at the experience of several people who identify themselves as having the disease, contrasted with the efforts of several researchers — including the head of a new CDC investigation — to figure out what exactly is going on.

It's a medical mystery story, and a meditation on the nature of evidence and belief.

And it raises the question: When something arises that fits no past pattern, how do we recognize it, describe it and prove its existence to others? It's a question that should resonate with advocates for MRSA - especially community MRSA infection.

Lotrs more MRSA news coming this week.