THE MORGELLONS QUESTION
"Morgellons Disease" is a currently unclassified medical condition commonly known as is a multi-symptomatic condition which, among other things, often manifests as skin lesions with clusters of fibers embedded in the skin. It has been suggested that perhaps the fibers found inside the bone of the Starchild Skull may be in some way related to the Morgellons condition, however, research conducted by The Starchild Project has indicated that this is unlikely.
Morgellons Disease is not yet accepted by the medical community, despite wide-spread media attention and thousands claiming to experience symptoms. According to a recent study, Morgellons fibers appear to be made of high-density polyethylene, a substance commonly used in the manufacture of fiber optics. Other crystalloid structures found in the tissues of Morgellons patients were found to contain silica and silicone.
Many theories about the cause of Morgellons are currently being circulated, however there is not yet a definitive answer. It has been suggested that Morgellons may be psychosomatic, some sort of parasitic infection, lice, scabies, a skin condition caused by GM cotton or other irritants, and most recently and perhaps most controversially, the result of nanotechnology involving high density polyethylene fibers sanction by the FDA for use as a food additive.
The Morgellons fibers in soft tissue look somewhat like the fibers in the Starchild's bone (see the comparison table below), although a visual comparison to Morgellons fibers found in bone has not yet been possible. There are noted similarities, but at present there is no way to determine if any connection can be made between the Starchild and Morgellons.
|
MORGELLONS
|
STARCHILD
The Starchild fibers seem to be significantly smaller than the "Morgellons" fibers shown opposite. |
|
| These fibers are extremely durable, said to burn at 1,700 degrees F without melting. | The Starchild Fibers are so strong they were not cut cleanly by a Dremel blade. | |
| At least some Morgellons Fibers contain Silica and Silicon | The Starchild's bone was found to have elevated levels of Silicon. | |
| The above fibers appear only in and growing out of soft tissue. Different "crystalloid" structures appear in bone. | The Starchild's stringy fibers are embedded only inside the bone; none of them grow out through the cancellous layer of bone. | |
| Patients who believe they suffer from Morgellons report a variety of symptoms, including degeneration of bone and joints, often accompanied by the presence of Silica products in the tissues. | The Starchild bone shows no signs of degeneration, and is in fact much stronger and denser than normal bone. |
Isolated
"Morgellons Fibers" under unknown magnification.
Fibers under app. 60x magnification. Fibers are reported in various
colors including red, blue, and green.
Fibers
from the Starchild bone under 350x scanning electron microscope magnification.
There is a basic test that may immediately rule out Morgellons in the Starchild, but until testing on the fibers in bone begins, we are unable to perform the test. Morgellons fibers removed from living tissues fluoresce under UV (also known as Black Light or Wood's light). Assuming this is also true of Morgellons fibers in dead tissue, simply exposing the Starchild fibers to UV light and observing the results may give an indication for or againt Morgellons.
While many photographs of Morgellons fibers are in color, all available photographs of the Starchild fibers were taken with a scanning electron microscope which only produces black-and-white images. Thus, it has been impossible to draw a color comparison between the two. However, regardless of color, there is enough similarity to warrant further consideration, especially considering the wide variety in the types and colors of Morgellons fibers reported. The condition itself was named after a 17th Century ailment described as causing "harsh hairs" in its patients. That description did not describe the fibers as having multiple colors or the "glass-like" appearance that seems to be typical of what is now termed Morgellons.
The condition as it is today was not really known or identified until 2002, when a biologist named Mary Leitao coined the name for the condition and set about improving awareness and attempting to find an effective treatment. Such limited information, combined with the similarities between Morgellons and various parasitic infections, which many Morgellons researchers suggest leads to misdiagnosis, makes it difficult to determine if the Morgellons condition even existed 900 years ago when the Starchild was alive, and, if so, whether it could have produced these fibers.
Morgellon's Links
(all information about Morgellons in the above
article can be found at these links)
http://www.dldewey.com/morgel.htm
http://www.cherokeechas.com/faqs.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=2283503&page=1
http://www.dldewey.com/misc/stan.htm