“I am allergic to sunshine” was the complaint of a fifty-nine-year-old man. “And, I have been so for seven years.” Allergy is a wonderfully creative word. Allergy, virus infection, and nerves are used to explain nearly all of a patient's inexplicable problems. Allergy, especially, has many definitions. We recall having offered to buy ice cream cones for two little girls. The older one said, “But my sister can't have chocolate. She's allergic to chocolate.” Really? “Yes, she smears it all over her dress and it stains.”

So, the question was, what was his allergy? We learned that the exposed areas of his forearms, ears, and forehead would become bright red and even blister after just five minutes of direct exposure to sunlight. Later, the areas itched fiercely for a day or two, and then the skin returned to normal. This allergy had kept him indoors for those seven years.

His prior history revealed a gastrectomy thirteen years ago with two-thirds of his stomach having been removed. He took no medicines, used only Ivory Soap for cleansing, and applied no hair sprays, colognes or after shave lotions. Alcohol intake was limited to an occasional beer. There had been no diarrhea or mental disturbance. He slept poorly, however, and said he always felt nervous.

His skin appeared normal, but phototesting with direct sunlight in July revealed a minimal erythema dose of five minutes (the minimum exposure time to give redness).