GOUT: CHANGES IN SYMPTOMS AND PURINE METABOLISM PRODUCED BY HIGH FAT DIETS IN FOUR GOUTY PATIENTS

It has been known for many years that there is some relationship between gout and uric acid, and many investigations of the uric acid metabolism of gouty patients have been carried out.1Because the number of cases of gout reported throughout the country is increasing, such studies are of especial interest at the present time. Some of the recent studies have shown that the methods of diagnosing the disease are apparently not wholly satisfactory, for in 100 cases an average period of fifteen years elapsed between the first appearance of symptoms and the establishment of the correct diagnosis.2The differentiation of gout from chronic arthritis, when joints other than the big toes are involved, seems to be particularly difficult. We feel that the experiments reported here may serve as a basis of a useful test in helping to establish a correct diagnosis. A number of workers have found