S. Burt Wolbach, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Blood-Sucking Arthropods

In a series of four articles published between 1916 and 1919 in The Journal of Medical Research , precursor to The American Journal of Pathology , the investigative pathologist S. Burt Wolbach unambiguously showed that Rocky Mountain spotted fever has a tick-borne mode of transmission, the causative agent replicates intracellularly, and the disease is fundamentally a vasculitis. Although underappreciated, Wolbach's tour-de-force work epitomized investigative pathology. These four articles should be mandatory reading for young investigators and are recommended also to seasoned investigators who seek reinvigoration in the beauty in their craft.