Biology: Concepts and Investigations 2nd Edition by Mariëlle Hoefnagels

Exercise 14

Morgellons syndrome is a medical mystery. Patients experience sensations of stinging, biting, or crawling skin; they may also have rashes or sores that are slow to heal. Scientists have proposed several hypotheses to explain the symptoms: the patients may be imagining the disorder and creating the sores by picking at their skin; "Morgellons syndrome" may simply be a new name for a recognized skin disorder such as dermatitis or a bacterial infection; or exposure to toxins in the environment may cause the symptoms. If you had unlimited resources, what data might you collect to test each hypothesis?