Gout

a disease of the joints, particularly of the knees and feet. Medical authorities are uncertain as to the cause and nature of gout. It is accompanied by the accumulation of a salty acid in the afflicted joints, and causes most excruciating pain. To step on a man's gouty toe is an unpardonable offense. The disease is supposed, at least by those who do not have it, to be the result of high living, especially the drinking of wine. Doctors say it is prevalent among rich and poor on both sides of the Atlantic. The traditions of literature localize the gout as an aristocratic disease peculiar to England. A predisposition to gout may be inherited. It manifests itself in middle age, and more frequently in men than in women. See Disease