Pearl - might the disorder you are half-remembering be acrodermatitis
enteropathica? - a metabolic disorder in the baby causing severe perioral
and perineal dermatitis, poor healing, poor hair quality and delayed growth.
Apparently very rare in breastfed babies, but has been known to occur in
premature babies, because of their increased need for zinc.  One mother
whose prem baby presented with this was shown to have low milk zinc, a third
of the concentration that would be expected, (likely a defect in mammary
uptake of zinc from maternal plasma) and mother's plasma levels were normal.
Her first two breastfed full-term babies never had any problems.    Ref:
Stephanie A Atkinson PhD, "Research on The Value of Preterm Mother's Milk
for the Low Birthweight Infant", presented at the l989 ILCA Conference.

Pamela Morrison IBCLC, Zimbabwe