RT Journal
A1 WATSON CJ, PERMAN V, SPURRELL FA, HOYT HH, SCHWARTZ S
T1 SOme studies of the comparative biology of human and bovine erythropoietic porphyria
JF A.M.A. Archives of Internal Medicine
JO A.M.A. Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 1959
FD March 1
VO 103
IS 3
SP 436
OP 444
DO 10.1001/archinte.1959.00270030092009
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1959.00270030092009
AB Until recent years, the forms of porphyria were classified on clinical grounds alone. The photocutaneous symptoms common to Günther's congenital and chronic forms1 have often led to confusion. Studies in this laboratory have revealed that the true porphyria congenita of Günther is an erythropoietic disease in which the site of abnormal porphyrin formation is the developing normoblast.2-4 In contradistinction, the chronic, or "cutanea tarda," variety belongs in the category of hepatic porphyria, the fundamental disturbance being that of a great overproduction of porphyrin by the liver.2,3 Human erythropoietic porphyria is a rare disease; in our own roster only 7 cases are represented in a total of 255, the remainder belonging to one of the hepatic categories, either intermittent acute, cutanea tarda, or combined types. Schmid and coworkers4 found only 34 bona fide cases in the world's literature up to 1955 but pointed out that many cases of "cutanea tarda" type