THE RELATION OF URIC ACID TO GOUTY ATTACKS

The work recorded in the present paper, although begun with another purpose in mind, is the result of an attempt to find if there is any relation between attacks of gout and the amount of uric acid in the blood, or between such attacks and the amount of uric acid excreted in twenty-four hours . By means of the new method of Folin 1 the surmises of earlier investigators that the uric acid content of the blood is increased in gout has been confirmed by Dr. Folin 2 and coworkers in a certain number of cases. These findings, taken together with observations showing a retardation of uric acid in gout, are in accord with the hypothesis of Gerrod 3 that the attacks of gout are due to increase of the uric acid content of the blood above its saturation point as a result of the inability of the kidney to excrete