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Chronic Porphyria (Porphyria Hepatica, Mixed or "Cutana Tarda" Type). Presented by Dr. M. E. Obermayer and (by invitation) by Dr. M. C. Zimmerman.
A 52-year-old house painter was in good health until 1933, when he developed a peculiar dark-gray tan on sun-exposed areas. This continued until 1947, when blisters and crusting occurred that caused pitted scars on healing. About two hours after he was painting on the sunny side of a house, itching and burning occurred on the exposed parts of the body. The hands developed some painless blisters following exposure to paint thinner. The above symtoms stopped from 1936 to 1945, while he was employed as a custodian and worked inside. During these years exposure to the sun (while fishing) had no significant effect. Symptoms began again in 1946, when he returned to painting.
About 1951, he noticed that if he retained his urine for a long time