Histiocytic Medullary Reticulosis: Concurrence in Father and Son

HISTIOCYTIC medullary reticulosis was first defined by Scott and Robb-Smith (1939) as an entity separate from other disorders of the lymphoreticular system, similar cases previously reported having been described as "atypical Hodgkin's disease, or leukosis." The disease occurs in adults, is rapidly fatal, is generally characterized by wasting, fever, scattered lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and anemia, and is often accompanied by jaundice, purpura, and leukopenia. Microscopically there is diffuse proliferation of histiocytes and their precursors, often of abnormal structure and often with erythrophagocytosis in lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and bone marrow. We recently saw a young man at University Hospitals whose clinical course and pathological features were consistent with the criteria for this disease. Of great interest was the concurrence of an essentially similar disease in our patient's father, who died three weeks before his son. Report of Cases Case 1. —An 18-year-old male student, son of the patient described in