Harrison Dyer's Compulsion and Double Life

Harrison Dyer was a man with a compulsion for collecting and a double life. Despite being a respected entomologist, he was notorious for his bigamy, having two families simultaneously. The motivation behind his actions seemed to stem from his belief in eugenics and the superiority of his own genetics. This belief led to conflicts with his first wife, who did not share his beliefs and had concerns about genetic hearing loss. Rather than ending their relationship, Dyer chose to create an imaginary friend and marry her, maintaining two separate households with carefully constructed lies. The aftermath of his actions left a neighborhood with structurally unsound tunnels, which collapsed in 1958. Interestingly, his collaborator, JB Smith, continued to work with Dyer, stating that his interest in mosquitoes outweighed any quarrels they had.