Do you know the etymology of the word “gout,” or how a simple microscope aided in the identification of tophi? Join me as I explore the history of this inflammatory arthritis and highlight the important scientists who shaped the modern era of gout.

• Intro :10
• What to expect in Part 2 :48
• A question: Which urate-lowering therapy was made for an expressly different reason than to treat gout? 1:34
• The first modern description of gout 1:54
• Let’s go back to the Greeks 3:05
  • Why is it called “gout?” 3:06
  • An anecdote from medical school 4:13
  • Hippocrates’ words of wisdom on gout 4:58
  • First century AD: Gout is linked with excessive eating and drinking 6:01
• Things get muddled 6:20
• 1683: The modern era of gout is described 6:42
• “Gout Perspectives” published in The Lancet in 2018 7:06
• Self-taught Dutch scientist, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, pioneers the microscope and identifies tophi 8:29
• Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovers uric acid 11:38
• William Hyde Wollaston tests tophi and discovers it’s full of uric acid 12:57
• Emperor of uric acid, Alfred Baring Garrod, associates elevated serum uric acid with gout 13:48
  • If anyone knows how the thread test works, please email me 14:58
  • He theorized that uric acid causes gout 15:37
• A look back at what we know 16:09
• What we don’t know: What’s in the joints of patients with acute gout? 16:22
• Stay tuned for The History of Gout, Part 2 16:34

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to [email protected].

References:

Barnett R. Lancet. 2018;391:2595.

Faires JS, Mccarty DJ. Lancet. 1962;280:682-685.  

Kippen I, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 1974;33:391-396.

Marson P, Pasero G. Reumatismo. 2011;63:199-206.

Mccarty DJ, Hollander JL. Ann Intern Med. 1961;54:452-460.

Nuki G, Simkin PA. Arthritis Res Ther. 2006;doi: 10.1186/ar1906.

Rundles RW. Arch Intern Med. 1985;145:1492-1503.

Shyambhavee, Behera BK. J Pharmacol Clin Toxicol. 2017;5:1098.

Storey GD. Rheumatology. 2001;40:1189-1190.

West JB. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2014;doi:10.1152/ajplung.00223.2014.