Ochronotic arthropathy. A review with four case reports.

Alkaptonuria is believed to have been described as early as 1584 (Garrod 1923). Marcet in 1823 (Rose 1957) recorded the case ofa patient whose urine caused black stains on the clothing. An accurate account of the condition was given by Boedeker (1859), who described a patient with glycosuria in whom a second reducing substance was found in the urine. This he named “alkapton” on account of its behaviour with alkali. In 1887 Marshall described the first case in the United States of America and discovered alkapton to be glycosuric acid. He described