Dr James Schaller

"Florida Has No Deer" And Other Silly Comments
By Anti-Lyme Disease Physicians

I recently had a patient, who had many symptoms of tick born infections, but she went to her local Infection doctor, and he convinced her the entire notion of having Lyme or Bartonella or anything else was silly. The joke was lost on me, since these are the two top vector illnesses in the USA, and a lab can probably not even find many strains. So why is the possibility of a Lyme or Bartonella infection such an impossible idea?

I thought I had heard every incompetent reason for telling someone they could not have Lyme, but this doctor must be commended for his creativity. He actually said in an authoritative and papal manner that "Lyme could not exist in Florida because Florida has no deer."

My home in Tampa has tons of deer tracks, but perhaps it is dogs wearing deer shoes to freak me out.

Florida has a million white tailed deer. So he was only off by a little. I wonder how many Lyme, Bartonella and other microscopic infections he misses if he cannot notice a million large deer.



The White-Tail deer is found through out the state of Florida with a state herd of an estimated 1 million animals. The white-tail deer is without a doubt the best example of modern wildlife management in the world. In the early 1900's it was a rare experience to even see a deer in the wild. With good sound management, hunting seasons & limits sanctuaries and education the whitetail now numbers in the millions and lives in practically every state in North America.

There are more deer now than in Colonial times.


The Florida whitetail,Odocoileus virginianus seminolus, is a good-sized deer with a good rack. Some have antlers as impressive as the borealis though the spread is not as wide. The race is the deer of the Everglades.

The Florida coastal whitetail,Odocoileus virginianus osceola, is found in the Florida panhandle, southern Alabama, and Mississippi. It is not as large as the Florida or the Virginia whitetail but it intergrades with both.


Bank Towers, Tamiami Trail, Naples, FL
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