In “Devil’s Bait” Leslie Jamison writes about her experience hearing from and talking with people who have Morgellons disease. Morgellons is a self diagnosed disease in which people feel as if bugs are crawling on and under their skin. People who suffer from Morgellons have experienced various symptoms such as sores and/or blisters, pain, and fatigue. However, “its defining symptom was always the same: strange fibers emerging from underneath the skin” (pg 223). People with Morgellons have described the fibers coming from their skin as very small fuzz or thread like particles. Despite the fact that multiple sufferers of Morgellons have confirmed seeing these fibers, doctors still refuse to believe that the disease is anything but a delusion. Some people have even tried to bring in samples of the particles that they have found to prove their illness to doctors. However, this seemingly undeniable evidence has proved to backfire on the patients. On page 226 Rita, a woman who suffers from Morgellons, relays her most important piece of advice, “Don’t take specimens in. That’s the number one rule. Otherwise they’ll think you’re crazy in a heartbeat.” After trying time and time again to prove their disease to doctors, many people seem to accept the fact that they will not be treated by a medical professional so they turn to at home remedies. These can range from taking horse dewormers to pouring root beer all over their bodies in order to lessen their pain. Another victim, Paul, even says that he “probably spends ten or twelve hours a day just keeping them at bay” (pg 233). Hearing everything that these people have to go through on a daily basis, as well as being the subject of mockery really made Jamison put herself in other peoples’ shoes in order to show them empathy rather than denying their claims.
