In 2022, at the BandAid Lyme conference, Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner, whose son died of Lyme disease,
shared an amazing summary of about 25 historical references to European and early American Lyme.
In the USA, it really started when artist Polly Murray noticed catastrophic fatigue and an inability to think in many neighbors.
and swollen knees in some youth.
In the early 1970s a group of children and adults in Lyme, Connecticut, and the surrounding areas were suffering from some puzzling and debilitating health issues. Their symptoms included swollen knees, paralysis, skin rashes, headaches, and severe chronic fatigue. These families remained undiagnosed and untreated for years during the 1960s and 70s. If it wasn’t for the persistence of two mothers from this group in Connecticut, Lyme disease might still be little-known even today. These patient advocates began to take notes, conduct their own research, and contact scientists, and the state health department.
The medical establishment began to study the group’s symptoms and looked for several possible causes. Was it germs in the air or water? The children had reported skin rashes followed very quickly by arthritic conditions. And they had all recalled being bitten by a tick in the region of Lyme, Connecticut.
Finally, by the mid-70s, researchers began describing the signs and symptoms of this new disease. Since the first investigator was a joint doctor, the focus was on joints or rheumatology. However, Lyme can cause almost any symptom. They called it Lyme, but they still didn’t know what caused it in the 70’s.
Now we know the cause is a corkscrew bacterium, and Bartonella is a common coinfection, not just something seen with Lyme. And some studies report that Babesia can be very common, even as common as Lyme in some locations.
Some ideas from: https://www.bayarealyme.org. Accessed August 22, 2026