Porphyria: Purple Urine, Vampire Myths and King George III's Arsenic

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Porphyria is a group of metabolic disorders rooted in heme, the iron-containing molecule in hemoglobin, which the body builds on an assembly line of eight enzymes split between the mitochondria and the cytosol. When a genetic flaw breaks one enzyme, half-finished porphyrins pile up and poison tissue. Acute hepatic porphyrias bring agonizing abdominal pain, racing heart, hallucinations and paralysis that doctors mistake for Guillain-Barré syndrome or lead poisoning, while cutaneous forms make sunlight burn and blister the skin. The name comes from the Greek porphyra, purple, after urine that darkens to a wine color in the sun.

In 1964 a British doctor linked the disease to werewolves, and in 1985 biochemist David Dolphin told the American Association for the Advancement of Science that porphyria explained vampires. Folklorists reject both ideas: 18th century vampires walked in daylight and looked plump and ruddy, and burning in the sun traces to the 1922 film Nosferatu. The episode then turns to King George III, whom Ida Macalpine and Richard Hunter diagnosed with acute intermittent porphyria in 1966, and the 2005 study that found high arsenic in his hair, likely from contaminated antimony in his own medicines.

Why fasting, alcohol, hormones and common drugs such as barbiturates and sulfa antibiotics can trigger an attack
How lead binds the same heme pathway enzymes and produces near identical symptoms
Why ordinary chemical sunscreens fail when porphyrins react to visible blue light
Theories tying porphyria to Mary Queen of Scots, Vincent van Gogh and Maria I of Portugal
Treatments from intravenous dextrose and heme analogs to the RNA interference drug givosiran

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Marras 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Marras 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Marras 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Marras 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Marras 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Marras 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Marras 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Marras 21min