The drop

In the 5th century B.C., Hippocrates used the word 'podagra' to designate the disease or its carrier. The term was descriptive. In Greek, it means 'caught by the foot', evoking the trap in which the animal is captured (agra meaning hunt or catch). It was in the 9th century that the term gout was introduced into popular parlance. Rheuma (rheumatism or discharge) is compared to a noxious mood distilled 'drop by drop' in the joints and organs. Its meaning narrowed in the 15th century, with the word gout corresponding to the condition known as podagre. In the Renaissance, Ambroise Paré used the term 'gout' instead of podagre. There are many historical descriptions, but one of the most seminal is the 1683 treatise on podagre by Thomas Sydenham, the English Hippocrates. Gout has also been dubbed 'the disease of kings'. From Charlemagne to Louis XIV, it has struck down some of history’s greatest names. In the 19th century, it was considered responsible for all ills. Gout is far from being a thing of the past, especially in Africa.