On the early uses of the word ‘gout’: novel evidence and a critical assessment of the published literature

Abstract

Recognised since antiquity, gout is still a relevant pathology with rising prevalence and incidence. This study aims to assess the reference accuracy in journal articles mentioning the early use of the word ‘gout’. Specifically, it investigates whether the term was indeed coined in the 13th century by the Dominican monk Randolphus of Bocking, as widely believed. Several historical sources in the original Latin were consulted to test the hypothesis of literary mentions predating Randolphus of Bocking’s description. At the same time, biomedical articles spanning the last two decades were perused using specific keywords in different combinations to determine the accuracy level of references related to the earliest use of the word ‘gout’. The results showed that several biomedical publications wrongly ascribed the origin of the word ‘gout’ to Randolphus of Bocking. Indeed, various texts predate Randolphus of Bocking’s mention by many years. In particular, gutta, the Latin word used to indicate a host of rheumatological conditions including gout, is recorded as early as the 10th century in a biography dedicated to the martyred nun Saint Wiborada of St. Gall. Written by Swiss monks between AD 960-963, this text should be regarded as containing the earliest known adoption of the word. For this reason, scholars should now avoid quoting Randolph of Bocking’s description as the first use of the word gout in Western literature.

Full text

142 Reumatismo 2/2024
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
n INTRODUCTION
The popular belief that gout is a disease
belonging to a bygone age is an incor-
rect assumption. It is still a relevant pathol-
ogy with a prevalence between 0.1% and
10% worldwide (1). Moreover, in the past
thirty years, the global population of gouty
patients has increased from 2 million to 53
million individuals, with a growth rate for
gout incidence equalling 63.44% (2).
The perceived disappearance of gout may
partly be ascribed to better diagnostic and
therapeutic strategies in the contemporary
medical setting as well as to a diminished
moral focus on this condition, which is
closely matched by a contextual progres-
sive decrease in bibliometric mentions of
the very word during the last three cen-
turies (Figure 1). Reasonably, the latter
phenomenon might also be explained in
the light of the relatively recent rise of the
more technical term ‘arthritis’ (originating
around the 1540s from its Latin equivalent
and preceded by the late 14th-century form
‘arthetica’), which is common to many
conditions such as ‘osteoarthritis’, ‘rheu-
matoid arthritis’, ‘juvenile arthritis’, etc.
Indeed, the word ‘gout’ has been used,
from the Middle Ages on, to describe sev-
eral rheumatological conditions, not only
limited to the uric acid-related disease
that we know today. Such a broad range of
meanings of the word depended on the fact
that certain other rheumatological condi-
tions had not been scientically classied
On the early uses of the word ‘gout’:
novel evidence and a critical assessment
of the published literature
F.M. Galassi1, L. Ingaliso2, V. Papa3,4, R. Lorenzi5, E. Percivaldi6, E. Varotto5,7
1Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz,
Poland; 2Department of Humanities (DISUM), University of Catania, Italy; 3Department of Economics,
Law, Cybersecurity, and Sports Sciences, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Italy; 4School of Science,
Engineering and Health, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Italy; 5FAPAB Research Center, Avola, Italy;
6Centro Studi Storico Archeologici del Gargano, Monte S. Angelo, Italy; 7School of Biomedicine,
University of Adelaide, Australia
Reumatismo, 2024; 76 (2): 142-148
Corresponding author:
Elena Varotto
School of Biomedicine,
University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
E-mail: elena.varotto@adelaide.edu.au
SUMMARY
Recognized since antiquity, gout is still a relevant pathology with rising prevalence and incidence. This study
aims to assess the reference accuracy in journal articles mentioning the early use of the word ‘gout’. Speci-
cally, it investigates whether the term was indeed coined in the 13th century by the Dominican monk Randolphus
of Bocking, as widely believed. Several historical sources in their original Latin were consulted to test the hy-
pothesis of literary mentions predating Randolphus of Bocking’s description. At the same time, biomedical ar-
ticles spanning the last two decades were perused using specic keywords in different combinations to determine
the accuracy level of references related to the earliest use of the word ‘gout’. The results showed that several
biomedical publications wrongly ascribed the origin of the word ‘gout’ to Randolphus of Bocking. Indeed,
various texts predate his mention by many years. In particular, gutta, the Latin word used to indicate a host of
rheumatological conditions including gout, is recorded as early as the 10th century in a biography dedicated to
the martyred nun Saint Wiborada of St. Gall. Written by Swiss monks between AD 960 and 963, this text should
be regarded as containing the earliest known adoption of the word. For this reason, scholars should now avoid
quoting Randolph of Bocking’s description as the rst use of the word ‘gout’ in Western literature.
Key words: Gout, history of medicine, review, rheumatology, uric acid.
Reumatismo, 2024; 76 (2): 142-148
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS

On the early uses of the word ‘gout’ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reumatismo 2/2024 143
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
(3-5). A classic example is the aforemen-
tioned rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune
disease rst correctly identied by Augus-
tin Jacob Landré-Beauvais (1772-1840)
from 1800 on under the name of ‘Goutte
Asthénique Primitive’ and subsequently
by Alfred Baring Garrod (1819-1907),
who named it ‘Rheumatic Gout’ or ‘Rheu-
matoid Arthritis’ (6). The latter denition
started to become standard in 1890 with
the work of Sir Archibald Edward Garrod
(1857-1936) (7). The term is derived from
the Latin word gutta (a ‘drop’) pointing
to the medieval belief that one of the four
bodily humors precipitating in the joints
would produce pain in the patient (3).
In this paper we aim at i) establishing the
degree of accuracy reached by researchers
who discussed the early use of the word
‘gout’ in their studies, based on previous
mentions in the biomedical literature; ii)
elucidating the actual early use of the word
‘gout’, hence conrming the chronology
proposed in previous publications or poten-
tially locating literary mentions that might
predate those.
n MATERIALS AND METHODS
To accomplish the rst objective, we pe-
rused several biomedical articles indexed
and retrievable through the databases Pub-
med and Google Scholar using the search
words ‘Randolphus of Bocking’, ‘gout’,
‘historical’, ‘history’, ‘rst description’,
‘early mention’, ‘gutta’ in different com-
binations. We limited our search to the rst
two decades of the present century (2000-
2024) and conducted our study research
between 2020 and 2024 since we wanted
to assess the correctness of historical-med-
ical mentions in the recent literature about
gout. We have restricted our ndings to ar-
ticles (including conference proceedings),
the most usual publishing venue for bio-
medical scholars, only excluding articles
that proved inaccessible even via library
request or whose standing was considered
overly critical (e.g., most of the publica-
tions in predatory journals). In addition,
we have thus excluded master and doctoral
theses, as well as popular books. While it
may have proved interesting to check the
whole trajectory of wrong citations origi-
nating in the 20th century, we chose to fo-
cus only on 21st-century literature in that
these most recent works are those that keep
actively contributing to the current spread
of incorrect information in the biomedical
eld.
For the second aim, we consulted histori-
cal sources in the original Latin – namely:
Ex Hartmanni Vita S. Wiboradae; Alia Vita
[S. Wiboradae Virginis et Martyris] auctore
Hepidanno coenobita S.Galli; Thietmarus
Merseburgensis, Chronicon; Donizo, Vita
Mathildis; Vita Anselmi Episcopi Lucen-
sis auctore Bardone Presbytero; Rangerius
Figure 1 - Frequency of the words ‘gout’ (blue) and ‘arthritis’ (red) found in bibliographic sources printed
between 1700 and 2012 (allowed chronological extreme) using the online search engine Google Books
Ngram Viewer.

144 Reumatismo 2/2024
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ F.M. Galassi, L. Ingaliso, V. Papa, et al.
144 Reumatismo 2/2024
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
Lucensis, Vita metrica Anselmi Lucensis
episcopi; Alia Vita [Richardi Episcopi Cic-
estriensis] per Fr. Radulphum Ord. Prædi-
catorum. ex MS. Lovaniensi Monasterii S.
Martini - using critical editions published
in the collections of ‘Monumenta Germa-
niae Historica’ and ‘Acta Sanctorum’, and
in some cases, scrutinizing the original
manuscripts:
1. St. Gallen, Stifsbibliothek, Cod. Sang.
560 (Vita S. Wiboradae), p. 374 (Incipit
prologus Hepidanni cenobite Sancti
Galli de vita sancte Wiborade virginis
atque martysus XPI) and p. 380 (ydrope
ad extrema poene ductus essere). Digi-
tized version: www.e-codices.unifr.ch/
it/list/one/csg/0560.
2. Ms. Stuttgart, Württembergische
Landesbibliothek, Bibl. 2° 58 (Vita
Wiboradae viriginis et martyris [opus
tributum etiam Hartmanno Sangallensi
monacho], Ekkehardus I Sangallensis
monachus), folio 138 r. (Egritudini, in-
quit, incommoditatem, gutta infestante
et totum corpus meum contrahente).
Digitized version: http://digital.wlb-
stuttgart.de/sammlungen/sammlung-
sliste/werksansicht/?id=6&tx_
dlf%5Bid%5D=1088&tx_
dlf%5Bpage%5D=277.
3. The manuscript containing Thietmar of
Merseburg’s Chronicon, photographed
in 1905. Digitized version of folio 78a
(Alvricus cui in capite suo multum no-
cuit migranea, quae duplex est, aut ex
gutta aut ex vermibus). Digitized ver-
sion: https://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/
thietmar/fol.0081.html.
n RESULTS
The search yielded 21 publications, from
2002 to 2023, mentioning Randophus of
Bocking (also known as Ralph Bocking)’s
description of a gouty patient as the earliest
use of the word ‘gout’ (gutta) (3, 8, 9-27
– for reference 24, note that the authors
clearly mention Randolphus of Bocking
but, unlike other scholars, do not explicitly
mention that he introduced the medical use
of the word or that he was the rst to use
it): 11/21 (52.4%) referenced a 2006 arti-
cle by Nuki and Simkin (8), 7/21 (33.3 %)
the Copeman 1964 book (28), 4/21 (19%)
both Nuki and Simkin and Copeman, 1/21
(4.8%) the Antonello et al.’s article (3) [in
turn quoting Copeman’s book (28)], 1/21
(4.8%) the Savica et al.’s article (14) [in
turn quoting both Nuki and Simkin’s ar-
ticle and Copeman’s book (8, 28)], 1/21
(4.8%) the Pillinger et al.’s article (9) [in
turn quoting Nuki and Simkin’s article (8)],
while 2/21 (9.5%) had no reference for
their statement.
The sources reported above indicate that
the Dominican friar Randolphus of Bock-
ing (1197-1258), the private chaplain to
the Bishop of Chichester, hinted at the mi-
raculous healing of a certain Ricardus de
Catham, a steward with ministerial func-
tions, from a severe form of gout. Although
the disease had almost left him paralyzed
in the feet [hic cum gutta, quam podagram
vel arteticam vocant, frequenter vexare-
tur, vice quadam in tantum ea torquebatur,
quod vix pedes movere poterat], he was
cured simply by putting on the bishop’s
boots (29).
However, the word gutta predates Randol-
phus of Bocking: it was used in at least two
earlier biographies: Donizo’s Vita Mathild-
is (ca. 1111-1115), and pseudo-Bardo’s
Vita Anselmi Episcopi Lucensis, written
shortly after Anselm’s death (March 18,
1086), who was Bishop of Lucca and also a
spiritual guide to Countess Matilda (1046-
1115) (30, 31).
In the rst case, gutta certainly means
‘gout’, that is in a rheumatological sense
(32). Donizo (ca. 1071- 1130?) was rst a
monk and then the abbot at the Benedictine
monastery of Sant’Apollonio of Canossa.
Likely born in the village of Canossa,
he wrote several works in Latin, includ-
ing the Enarratio Genesis (a fragmentary
commentary on the Book of Genesis) and
the Vita Mathildis, in which he poetically
celebrates Countess Matilda of Tuscany
and her outstanding life. In Book II, the
monk reports that the Countess became ill
and gives details on her disease using the
words frigore percussa, doluit nimis ilico
gutta / vixque die mansit patris ad missam
venerandi (“hit by the cold, she immedi-

On the early uses of the word ‘gout’ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reumatismo 2/2024 145
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
ately suffered a great pain from gout / and
the next day could barely attend Mass cel-
ebrated by the venerable father”) (31). As a
consequence, after seven months, Matilda
of Tuscany eventually died, ‘of gout’, at the
age of 69.
As to the mentions in the pseudo-Bardo,
we read several miraculous healings from
gutta that occurred after Anselm’s death
and after the sick had either prayed or vis-
ited the bishop’s grave. In some cases, the
word seems to indicate ‘gout’, for instance
when reporting of a vir quidam Lanzo Iu-
dex nomine, Mediolanensis genere, Tar-
visinus habitatione, qui, cus agritudine
vehementer virente et guttae morbo grav-
iter eum in pedibus ferente, et gressu fuerat
privatus, et requies somni penitus sibi nulla
dabatur (“a certain man named Lanzo Iu-
dex, from Milan but now living in Treviso,
who was so hardly tormented by hemor-
rhoids and gout in the feet that he could not
walk nor nd rest in sleep”) (30). Among
other cases, it is worth mentioning that of a
French priest named Everardus cui ambos
minores digitos unius manus gutta subito
superveniens rigidos reddiderat (“whose
two small ngers of one hand suddenly be-
came stiff because of gout”).
Both the episodes of Lanzo Trivisinus and
presbyter Ebrardus also appear in the Vita
metrica Anselmi Lucensis episcopi, an
elaboration of the pseudo-Bardo’s work
written between 1096 and 1099 by Range-
rius of Lucca (. 11th cent.), using the same
word, gutta (33).
Before these mentions, the word gutta
was used by Thietmar, Bishop of Merse-
burg (976-1018), who wrote about it in his
Chronicon (1012-1018) as the potential
etiology of the migraine experienced by a
monk named Alvricus, either due to gout
and to worms (cui in capite suo multum
nocuit migranea, quae duplex est, aut ex
gutta aut ex vermibus) (34), as precisely
underlined already in 1943 in an article by
Neuwirth, who also noted its use, limited
but self-evident, by other authors such as
Geoffroi de Villehardouin (1160-1213) in
his Histoire de l’empire de Constantinople
sous les empereurs françois (1207-1212)
as well as the famous Salernitan Medical
school (35). For instance, in the Regimen
Sanitatis Salernitanum or Flos Medicinae
Scholae Salerni (XII-XIII ca.), gout is
mentioned in reference to the herb named
Benedicta (Geum urbanum): Articulos pur-
gat benedicta profundos; artheticam gut-
tam sanat fractamque podagram et renes
ores et vesicam benedicta; and Pars nona
(Nosologica), caput V ‘De gutta’.
After further study, an even older mention
of the word ‘gutta’ can be detected. It can
be found in the Vita Wiboradae virginis et
martyris (‘The Life of Saint Wiborada’),
a Benedictine nun and an anchoress at the
Swiss Abbey of St. Gall, who suffered mar-
tyrdom during the Hungarian invasions in
AD 926. Her two biographies were both
composed by monks at the same Abbey:
the former started around AD 960 by Hart-
mannus and completed by Ekkeard the El-
der (died AD 973) (36), and the latter was
penned around the year 1075 by Heriman-
nus (37) – in the literature, it is important to
mention that the two authors appear some-
times to be confused or even identied with
one another.
As to the rst Vita, in the ending para-
graphs, we read of a visit by Ulrich, Abbot
of Augsburg (AD 893 - July 4, AD 973) (36,
38) and a former close friend of Wiborada,
which occurred when Craloh was Abbot
(942-958). Ulrich rst visited Wiborada’s
tomb and then asked a monk by the name
of Ekkeard, virum venerabilem […] et bene
doctum (‘a venerable and well-learned
man) if there existed any accounts written
on the martyr’s life. Ekkeard answered neg-
atively and apologized for not yet having
composed one himself: moreover, he con-
fessed that he once had been tormented by
gout affecting his whole body (Egritudini,
inquit, incommoditatem, gutta infestante et
totum corpus meum contrahente) and was
ultimately cured after wearing Wiborada’s
cilice. He had thus vowed he would write
a work celebrating the saint’s curative ac-
tion, but, because of several obstacles, he
had not yet been capable of fullling his
promise. Thus, Ekkeard nally completed
his duty, testifying about several miracu-
lous healings that occurred as a result of
visiting Wiborada’s grave. The Hartman-

146 Reumatismo 2/2024
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ F.M. Galassi, L. Ingaliso, V. Papa, et al.
146 Reumatismo 2/2024
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
nus-Ekkeard work was later (1075) contin-
ued by Herimannus (or, as in the St. Gall
manuscript, Hepidannus), another monk,
who added that Ekkeard ydrope ad extrema
pene ductus esset (‘was affected by dropsy
to extreme pain’) (37, 38).
n DISCUSSION AND
CONCLUSIONS
Nuki and Simkin article provides a ref-
erence for the claim that Randolphus of
Bocking was the rst writer to use the word
gutta by quoting Copeman’s 1964 mono-
graph (8, 28). Considering that our results
show that such a statement in the publica-
tions on the topic of gout and its history in
the rst twenty-three years of this millen-
nium is supported either by quoting Nuki
and Simkin (52.5%), Copeman (33.3%)
or both (19% – this case probably indi-
cating a primary perusal of the Nuki and
Simkin article and identication of the
Copeman book in the article’s references),
it appears evident that either an error or a
misinterpretation occurred in Copeman’s
publication and that this was later ampli-
ed by the Nuki & Simkin’s work (8). In
his work, Copeman wrote (28, p. 2): “The
rst person who seems to have used the
word gout in the modern sense to denote
a painful periodical swelling of the big toe
was the Dominican monk, Randolphus of
Bocking […]. He recounted that he was a
great sufferer with gutta quam podagram
vel arteticam vocant […], and that he was
completely cured by wearing a pair of his
reverend superior’s boots”.
This passage clearly shows how the main
error lies in Copeman’s attribution of the
rst report of gout using this denition
(i.e., gutta). It should be highlighted, how-
ever, that Copeman wrote ‘seems to have
used’, hence conceding some doubt, which
later disappeared in the retrieved biomedi-
cal publications. This passage from Cope-
man’s book is, however, revealing the su-
percial handling of the historical data on
Randolphus of Bocking’s description. As
seen above, Randolphus only speaks of
a podal presentation of gout and vaguely
describes a deformation of the feet but
does not specically mention the ‘big toe’.
Moreover, according to Copeman, Randol-
phus himself is the gouty patient, while the
Bishop’s steward, Ricardus de Catham, is
unequivocally indicated as the sufferer mi-
raculously healed by his master’s boots.
Furthermore, the Latin term gutta is at-
tested as early as before AD 1000, and this
should be regarded as the earliest known
adoption of the word. For this reason,
scholars should avoid quoting Randolphus
of Bocking’s 13th-century mention as the
rst use of the word gout in Western lit-
erature, a problem that is encountered in
several publications, likely as a result of
original misquotations.
As previously explained, at this point in
history the word gutta is used to indicate
a host of rheumatological conditions in-
cluding, but not limited to uric acid-related
gout: notably, the above-seen case involv-
ing Everardus is extremely complex in
its diagnostic interpretation in that both a
retrospective diagnosis of uric acid-related
gout and rheumatoid arthritis could theo-
retically apply, which speaks for the much
broader range of meanings the word gout.
The success of the word gutta, ultimately
yielding the term ‘gout’, is still a prob-
lem that deserves the attention of linguists
and philologists. According to Porter and
Rousseau (39, p. 20) the origin of the term
gout is considered mysterious and its use
by Randolphus Bocking is merely men-
tioned without declaring it – unlike other
authors did – the rst ever use of the word
in a medical sense: “In Latin Christendom
the term ‘gutta’ became standardly applied
to podagra. It was used, for instance, by
Randolphus Bocking”.
We propose that it seems to have substitut-
ed more dignied words such as podagra in
conjunction with the spread of vulgar lan-
guages, attested from the mid-9th century
AD in various contexts such as The Oaths
of Strasbourg (842) in the Germanophonic
and Francophonic areas, the Veronese Rid-
dle (end of 8th-beginning of 9th centuries),
the Inscription of Saint Clement and Sisin-
nius (end of the 11th century), etc. Essen-
tially, it does not appear unrealistic that the
lectio facilior (gutta), an everyday word,

On the early uses of the word ‘gout’ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reumatismo 2/2024 147
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
ended up being preferred over its Greek-
derived synonym podagra.
Finally, the complex history of the word
‘gutta’and its use in the past of medicine,
helps us recognize how – especially in
a biomedical setting more and more fo-
cused on its latest technological advances
– avoiding the loss of its rich historical
medical heritage should be an important
target for future generations of physi-
cians. This appears to be particularly sig-
nicant at a time when old scourges like
pandemics caused by infectious agents
(40) have proved to be able to shake the
foundations and certainties of contempo-
rary medicine catalyzing a rediscovery of
old-fashioned preventive strategies such
the AD 1377-established and much later
used ‘quarantine’ (41).
Nonetheless – as recently highlighted by
Damiani et al. in the case of the wrong at-
tribution of the expression morbus domi-
norum, referred to gout affecting the upper
classes (42), to the Roman author Sueto-
nius (AD 69-after AD 122) (43) – this re-
discovery must be achieved solely through
a rigorous approach and a proper perusal
of the literature, hence avoiding the well-
known phenomenon of misquotation of
historically relevant content in biomedical
publication (44).
Contributions
All the authors made a substantial intellec-
tual contribution, read and approved the -
nal version of the manuscript, and agreed to
be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Conict of interest:
The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethics approval and consent to partici-
pate:
Not applicable.
Funding
Funding for this research was generously
provided by the Richard Lounsbery Foun-
dation, Washington, DC, USA.
Availability of data and materials
Available from the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments:
The authors would like to thank the Rich-
ard Lounsbery Foundation (Washington,
DC, USA) for their nancial support of the
FAPAB R.C.’s research.
n REFERENCES
1. Kuo CF, Grainge MJ, Zhang W, Doherty M.
Global epidemiology of gout: prevalence, inci-
dence and risk factors. Nat Rev Rheumatol
2015; 11: 649-62.
2. He Q, Mok TN, Sin TH, Yin J, Li S, Yin Y, et al.
Global, regional, and national prevalence of
gout from 1990 to 2019: age-period-cohort
analysis with future burden prediction. JMIR
Public Health Surveill 2023; 9: e45943.
3. Antonello A, Rippa Bonati M, D’Angelo A,
Gambaro G, Calò L, Bonfante L. Gotta e rene
tra XVII e XIX secolo. Reumatismo 2002; 54:
165-71. [Article in Italian].
4. Fornaciari A, Giuffra V, Armocida E, Caramel-
la D, Rühli FJ, Galassi FM. Gout in Duke Fed-
erico of Montefeltro (1422-1482): a new pearl
of the Italian Renaissance. Clin Exp Rheuma-
tol 2018; 36: 15-20.
5. Galassi FM, Borghi C. A brief history of uric
acid: from gout to cardiovascular risk factor.
Eur J Intern Med 2015; 26: 373.
6. Garrod AB. The nature and treatment of gout
and rheumatic gout. London: Walton & Ma-
berly, 1859.
7. Entezami P, Fox Da, Clapham PJ, Chung KC.
Historical perspective on the etiology of rheu-
matoid arthritis. Hand Clin 2011; 27: 1-10.
8. Nuki G, Simkin PA. A concise history of gout
and hyperuricemia and their treatment. Arthri-
tis Res Ther 2006; 8: S1.
9. Pillinger MH, Rosenthal P, Abeles AM. Hyper-
uricemia and gout: new insights into pathogen-
esis and treatment. Bull Hosp Jt Dis 2007; 65:
215-21.
10. Kwok T. Give Me Gout or Give Me Death: The
Rise of gout in the eighteenth century. In: Sta-
pleton M, Lewis J, Stahnisch F (eds.). The pro-
ceedings of the 17th annual history of medi-
cine days, March 7th and 8th, 2008. Health
Sciences Centre, Calgary, AB.
11. Hudson B. Gout: a history of theories and
treatments. Pharm J 2009; 283: 707.
12. Omole O, Ogunbanjo G. The evolution of gout
(an old lifestyle disease). SA Fam Pract 2009;
51: 396-8.
13. Parvin MN, Chowdhury SA, Islam SMA,
Uddin R. Pattern and treatment of Gout in
Bangladesh: a hospital based survey at Dha-
ka city, Bangladesh. J App Pharm Sci 2012;
02: 49-51.
14. Savica V, Santoro D, Ricciardi B, Ricciardi Ca,
Calò La, Bellinghieri G. Morbus dominorum:

148 Reumatismo 2/2024
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ F.M. Galassi, L. Ingaliso, V. Papa, et al.
148 Reumatismo 2/2024
RHEUMATOLOGY
IN THE LITERATURE,
HISTORY AND ARTS
gout as the disease of lords. J Nephrol 2013;
26: 113-6.
15. Benati C. Surgeon or lexicographer? The Lat-
in-German glossaries in addendum to Hans
von Gersdorff’s Feldtbuch der Wundarzney.
Linguistica e Filologia 2013; 33: 35-57.
16. Kienhorst LB. Gout: a clinical overview and its
association with cardiovascular diseases.
World J Rheumatol 2014; 4: 62-71.
17. Deshpande S. History of rheumatology.
MJDRDYPU 2014; 7: 119.
18. Martins J, Jorge E, Camolas J, Do Carmo I. Es-
tratégias para intervenção nutricional na hi-
peruricémia e gota. Revista Nutrícias 2014; 19:
28-31. [Article in Portuguese].
19. Fragkou T, Goula K, Drakoulogkona O. The
history of gout through centuries. Nephrol Dial
Transplant 2015; 30: iii377-80.
20. Piombino-Mascali D, Jankauskas R, Zink AR,
Todesco MS, Aufderheide AC, Panzer S. Pale-
oradiology of the Savoca mummies, Sicily, Ita-
ly (18th-19th Centuries AD). Anat Rec (Hobo-
ken) 298: 988-1000.
21. Cho J-H, Jung JY. Historical study of the ety-
mological form and translational process of
gout. Uisahak 2015; 24: 533-57. [Article in
Korean].
22. Mihai BM, Lacatusu CM. Gout – a disease for
the elect. Rom J of Artist Creat 2015; 3: 17-24.
23. Giuffra V, Minozzi S, Vitiello A, Fornaciari A.
On the history of gout: paleopathological evi-
dence from the Medici family of Florence. Clin
Exp Rheumatol 2017; 35: 321-6.
24. Licata M., Armocida G., Broggini M., Badino
P. Identication of a corpse suffering from
gout: a historical case of chiragra. Reumatizam
2018; 65: 35-7.
25. Akhtar H, Rashid M, Ahmad Qz, Ali D. Niqras
(gout) from antiquity to present scenario and
contribution of greco-arab physician. Ec Or-
thopaedics 2018; 9: 408-15.
26. Quintana MJ, Shum AZ, Folse MS, Ramesh
PC, Ahmadzadeh S, Varrassi G, et al. Gout
treatment and clinical considerations: the role
of pegloticase, colchicine, and febuxostat.
Cureus 2023; 15: e46649.
27. Tuta-Quintero E, Briceño-Balcázar I, Martín-
ez-Lozano JC, Mora-Karam C, Gonzales-Yun-
da Á, Gómez-Restrepo L, et al. Help sought for
gout sufferers: a historical look at the treatment
of gout in the new kingdom of Granada. Rev
Colomb de Reumatol 2023; 30: 310-5.
28. Copeman WSC. A short history of the gout and
the rheumatic diseases. Berkeley, CA: Univer-
sity of California Press; 1964.
29. Alia Vita [Richardi Episcopi Cicestriensis] per
Fr. Radulphum Ord. Prædicatorum. ex MS.
Lovaniensi Monasterii S. Martini, in: Acta
Sanctorum Aprilis, tomus I (Tertia Aprilis), c.
VII, 86, Antwerp; 1675.
30. Donizo, Vita Mathildis, liber II, in: Monumen-
ta Germaniae Historica. Series Scriptorum,
XII, Hannover; 1856.
31. Vita Anselmi Episcopi Lucensis auctore Bar-
done Presbytero: Epistula altera Ubaldi epis-
copi Mantuani ad Mathildam, LXXIV, in:
Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Series
Scriptorum, XII, Hannover; 1856, pp. 29, 33.
32. Du Cange C. Glossarium mediæ et inmæ lat-
initatis. Niort: L. Favre, 1883-1887, s.v. “gutta”.
33. Rangerius Lucensis, Vita metrica Anselmi Lu-
censis episcopi. In: Monumenta Germaniae
Historica, Series Scriptores 30, 2, Hannover;
1834, pp. 1306, 1307.
34. Thietmari Merseburgensis: Episcopi Chroni-
con, IV, 48. Monumenta Germaniae Historica.
Series Scriptores VI, Scriptores rerum Ger-
manicarum, Nova Series IX, Berlin; 1935.
35. Neuwirth E. Milestones in the diagnosis and
treatment of gout. Arch Intern Med (Chicago)
1943; 72: 377-87.
36. Ex Hartmanni Vita S.Wiboradae, 45, in: Monu-
menta Germaniae Historica, Series Scripto-
rum, IV, Hannover; 1841.
37. Alia Vita [S. Wiboradae Virginis et Martyris]
auctore Hepidanno coenobita S.Galli, Prolo-
gus. In: Acta Sanctorum Maii, tomus I (Die
Secunda Maii), Antwerp; 1680.
38. Galassi FM, Varotto E, Papa V, Artico M, Per-
civaldi P. Discovery of the rst recorded use of
“gout” as a medical term in history before AD
1000. Rheumatol Int 2024. Epub ahead of
print. doi: 10.1007/s00296-024-05534-3.
39. Porter R, Rousseau GS. Gout. The Patrician
malady. New Haven, CT, USA: Yale University
Press; 2000.
40. Galassi FM, Pate FD, You W, Gurr A, Lucas T,
Antunes-Ferreira N, et al. Pandemic realism as
the indispensable political precondition for
global disease eradication. Public Health 2022;
212: 55-7.
41. Coomes EA, Leis JA, Gold WL. Quarantine.
CMAJ 2020; 192: E338.
42. Schleifring JH, Galassi FM, Habicht ME, Rüh-
li FJ. Autopsing history: the mummy of Char-
lemagne (c. 747 - 814 AD), father of Europe.
Econ Hum Biol 2019; 32: 11-7.
43. Damiani E, Galassi FM, Elice M. Did Sueto-
nius really call gout morbus dominorum? A
philological and historico-medical reconstruc-
tion. Clin Rheumatol 2023; 42: 3153-8.
44. Cardenas D. Let not thy food be confused with
thy medicine: the Hippocratic misquotation. e-
SPEN J 2013; 8: e260-2.