Concepts concerning the cause and the pathogenesis of Wilson's hepatolenticular
degeneration have undergone a slow and tortuous evolution. 49 Hints regarding the
presence of excess copper in the tissues of a patient were obtained as early as 1913, 1 year
after Wilson's publication, but Rumpel believed that silver was the principal toxin. 24 A
decade later, ophthalmologists noted the similarity of Kayser-Fleischer rings and the copper-
induced corneal rings encountered in patients with chalcosis but failed to appreciate the …