How Mount Wilson Observatory Became an Infectious Disease Study Site

Scientific American published this article, written by Brendan Borrell, about a solar observer who becomes an entomological sleuth. Here's a brief summary: Larry Webster, solar observer and overall caretaker at the Mt. Wilson Observatory just outside of Los Angeles, decided to clean up a bit in preparation for some visitors. He cleaned up some rodent droppings and hauled out some boxes. In a week, he was experiencing flu symptoms that sent him to the hospital. Doctors said, "you have the flu," and sent him home. He went back two more times before being admitted and discharged as a patient recovering from mononucleosis.

Webster, a scientist, would not accept that diagnosis, and did some investigating of his own.

"Observatories are almost always in remote sites," Webster explains, "This particular building—being so old—was more accessible by mice and chipmunks."

Doing his own experiment, he discovered a soft bodied tick in the recesses of the observatory. A professional entomologist at the University of California in Riverside confirmed what Webster believed, that he had contracted relapsing tick fever, a rare condition in the United States.

Read more about Webster's investigation at Scientific American.