Bothwell, T. H.2018-06-292018-06-291953-05https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24677A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.The quantity of iron in the body is regulated largely by the amount absorbed from the gut as the body's capacity to excrete it seems to be very limited. However three conditions have been described in which enormous amounts of iron may accumulate. Such a finding is characteristic of idiopathic haemochromatosis, it is present in a proportion of malnourished South African and is seen also in cases of refractory anaemia treated over long periods with blood transfusions.enAbsorptionhaemochromatosisBloodIronThesis