The first mention of morgellons in the history books came in the late seventeenth century. Sir Thomas Browne mentions "the morgellons" in one of his letters, referring to a group of children suffering from odd hair placement. The symptoms he describes vaguely resemble those of current morgellons sufferers, and the term was coined not because of any attempt to reconcile the disease with the malady suffered by said children, but because of the similarity in symptoms only. Another brief mention of morgellons in the history books came in 1935 when a British doctor (C.E. Kellett) described the morgellons as "little flies." However, the two mentions do not appear to be related in any way other than the name used to describe the characteristically familiar sensation of bugs crawling on and/or under the skin (one of the main morgellons symptoms).

However, there are many mentions of the symptoms described by morgellons sufferers. Many patients were considered delusional for describing the sensation of insects crawling in/on or biting their skin. They were also labeled "matchbox patients," referring to the matchboxes that they would bring with them to the doctor, containing all manner of objects (from wool fibers to hairs) that purportedly came out of their skin. Delusional parasitosis has had thousands of mentions throughout the years, unlike the very limited exposure morgellons has seen. The actual naming of the disease was done by the mother of an afflicted boy. Her name is Mary Leitao, a former biologist. She noticed the similarities between the symptoms her son was suffering and those of the children mentioned in Browne's letter. In 2002, Leitao began calling the illness "Morgellon's Disease" when she began to have to address various audiences and needed a name for the condition her son was suffering from. She also founded the Morgellon's Research Foundation (MRF) as a means of raising awareness about the condition. It was also founded as a way to encourage research of the disease and possibly find treatment methods or a cure.

By and large, there is little "history" to speak of for morgellons. Although there are many documented cases of patients claiming to have morgellons (self-diagnosed) or presenting with symptoms related to morgellons, there is so little known about the syndrome that its history is as foggy as the illness itself. Until it is determined that morgellons is not simply a delusion, it will not have a place in the medical history books.

There is no known cure for morgellons at this time, largely because it is not officially recognized as a disease by the medical community. While a few treatment options are available, they are mostly utilized for the relief of certain symptoms associated with morgellons and not toward the root cause of the illness itself. Only the findings of the CDC will determine whether morgellons patients will continue to be viewed more as delusional or begin to be studied for treatment methods or cures.

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