<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi all, with many scientific definitions the real is often less interesting than the fanciful. "Sprue" is derived from the Dutch word "sprouw", meaning "a kind of tumour". Sorry to disappoint those who thought it may have a more interesting derivation. To be an even bigger wet blanket for those of you who have DH and thought "herpetiformis" might have something to do with lizards, in fact it means "resembling Herpes". cheers Phil Philip Sheard Developmental Biology Unit, Department of Physiology, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand. Ph (64 3) 479-7344 Fax (64 3) 479-7323