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There are few diseases as easy to recognize as classic gouty podagra (from the Greek word meaning "foot seizure"). A gluttonous, bibulous, upper-class man suddenly notices a severely painful, swollen great toe. The attack passes after several days to several weeks, even without therapy. Hippocrates referred to gout (from the Latin gutta a drop) as the arthritis of the rich, as opposed to rheumatism, the arthritis of the poor. The list of sufferers throughout history includes important persons of power, prestige, and artistic accomplishment.
Roy Porter and G.S. Rousseau are professors of history and English, respectively. Their talents have
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