Years ago, I got into a nice little debate with a previous member. I was simply making the point that many members who signed up seemed to be coming from the same parts of the country.
Around that time, coincidentally, a bright young student was comparing the geographic locations of Lyme patients with multiple sclerosis patients. The correlation between these maps is stunningly obvious. I've cut and pasted my friend Walter's comment below (thanks Walter).
My question that I can answer eventually if I have the time and money to do the analysis: how many patients with degenerative disc disease are in the regions that are endemic with Lyme disease?!
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This link is from a friend at PA Dept of Environmental Protection: A very interesting article about M.S. vs Lyme disease.
Esri ArcWatch October 2007 - Spatial Patterns of Disease Inspire New Ideas on Possible Causes
Open the three maps in separate browser windows, superimpose the windows and then switch back and forth to see how closely the Lyme and MS maps coincide with each other and with the control map. The nationwide data set for Lyme mortality in 1998 would be a great research resource if it is still available somewhere.
Note that this poster presentation was published in 2007 by Megan Blewett, at that time an 18-year old science high school student who went on to Harvard majoring in Chemistry. As a Senior at Harvard she was awarded a 2011-12 Hertz Foundation Fellowship (worth $250,000) to help fund her own original research. She is now working on a PhD supported by an NSF Research Fellowship at Scripps Research Institute in California.