Fear of the light
From Mr David Stung° Sir: Andrew Gimson ('Married to a monster', 28 July) gives the impression that the disease from which Frau Kohl suffered does not exist. Unfortunately it does. I have a colleague at work, whom I have known for many years. She cannot leave her home in broad daylight and is allergic to halogen lighting, whether in the home or produced by headlamps of the more recent cars. The number of people suffering from this condition in Switzerland is less than ten, and the incidence in other countries is at a similar level. Thus sadly there is little chance that any medical researcher will study the problem, and no chance whatsoever that any drugs company will finance an investigation. So she and others like her are condemned to a life compared with which suicide might seem a reasonable alternative.
David Stungo
Meyrin, Switzerland
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