ACQUIRED PORPHYRIA

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Abstract
In this issue ofThe Journal(page 88) Cam and Nigogosyan report their clinical observations made on 348 patients with porphyria cutanea tarda. This large number of patients afflicted with a relatively rare disease was seen in the course of 4 years in 3 southeastern provinces of Turkey, where Dr. Cam is regional dermatologist. He had been holding this governmental position for a number of years without having observed a single patient suspected of having porphyria, when first, in the summer of 1955, and then, in much larger numbers, during the following summer, patients visiting his clinic showed symptoms characteristic of porphyria cutanea tarda. He correctly suspected a toxic cause for this sudden appearance of a syndrome which usually is considered of hereditary nature. Through epidemiological inquiries, his suspicion centered on hexachlorobenzene, a chemical used since 1955 by the government to protect seed wheat from fungal contamination. The time of

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