They initially referred to the neurodegenerative disease as "corticodentatonigral degeneration with neuronal achromasia," after which various other names were used, including "corticonigral degeneration with nuclear achromasia" and "cortical basal ganglionic degeneration."

Albinism (from Latin albus, "white"; see extended etymology, also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis) is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of tyrosinase, a copper-containing enzyme involved in the production of melanin.