Fuller Albright

Biography

• Born
• Died

Medical Eponyms

Albright-Butler-Bloomberg disease (1937)

Syndrome of X-linked, severe developmental anomolies, marked by short-limbed dwarfism affecting the lower extremities, first described by Albright, Butler and Bloomberg in 1937.

Onset usually takes place after 6 months with commonest features including costochondral beading, enlarged wrists and ankles, enamel hypoplasia, and delayed dentition. Associated disorders include waddling gait, protuberant abdomen and, less commonly, dolicocephaly and craniosynostosis.

Metabolic disturbance of hypophosphatemia, elevated serum alkaline phosphatase, diminished tubular reabsorption of phosphate (hyperphosphaturia) and diminished intestinal absorption of calcium. The condition is resistant to Vitamin-D therapy.

Forbes-Albright syndrome (1954)

A disorder characterized by galactorrhea and amenorrhoea. Three types recognized:

• Chiari-Frommel syndrome: persistent galactorrhoea and amenorrhea after giving birth [1882]
• Ahumada-Del Castillo syndrome: galactorrhoea-amenorrhoea not associated with pregnancy. There is oestrogen deficiency and decreased urinary gonadotropin levels. [1932, 1953]
• Forbes-Albright syndrome: galactorrhea-amenorrhea caused by a chromophobe prolactin-producing adenoma of the pituitary [1954]

In 1954 Forbes, Albright and colleagues described 15 non-acromegalic women with persistent amenorrhea-galactorrhea and suggested that these findings were due to hypersecretion of pituitary prolactin. Eight of these patients had enlarged sellae with three chromophobe adenomas surgically demonstrated. The remaining seven had normal sellae.

Key Medical Contributions

Major Publications

Controversies

References

Biography

• Forbes AP. Fuller Albright 1900-1969. Harvard medical alumni bulletin 1970; 44(4): 36
• Howard JE. Fuller Albright, 1900-1969. Trans Assoc Am Physicians. 1970;83:10-11.
• Fuller Albright (1900-1969). N Engl J Med. 1970;282(5):280-281.
• Henneman PH. Fuller Albright, M.D. 1900-1969. Metabolism. 1970;19(3):187-188.
• Bartter FC. Fuller Albright 1900-1969. President, Endocrine Society, 1946-1947. Endocrinology. 1970;87(6):1109-1112.
• Stubbs AJ, Resnick MI. Fuller Albright (1900-1969). Invest Urol. 1978;15(4):352
• Schwartz TB. How to learn from patients: Fuller Albright’s exploration of adrenal function. Ann Intern Med. 1995;123(3):225-229.
• Loriaux L. Foundations of pediatrics: Fuller Albright, MD (1900-1969). Adv Pediatr. 2010;57(1):1-6.
• Manring MM, Calhoun JH. Biographical sketch: Fuller Albright, MD 1900-1969. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011;469(8):2092-2095.