The Gout Done Took Me Down

Some might be wondering why I have not offered thoughts, ideas, etc., on the last debate and its aftermath. This is because I have been hit with an attack of Gout.

Gout (also called gouty arthritis, Greek name: podagra, from pod - foot and agra - trap) is a form of arthritis caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints. It is an intensely painful disease, which in most cases affects only one joint (monoarthritis), most commonly the big toe. The term “gout” comes from the Latin word "gutta" meaning "a drop" from the belief that gout was caused by drops of morbid humors and may be related to the large lumps of urate deposits.

This is frequently caused in eating rich foods, or high protein foods. So, I have been in bed or at work with foot propped up and frankly feeling too ginchy to post. But I get these things every couple of years, and one must soldier on. Jeez, its hell getting old.

However, it is of some small comfort to know the company I keep. One of the most famous sufferers of gout was Henry VIII. Others include John Calvin, Khubilai Khan, Nostradamus, John Milton, Queen Anne, Isaac Newton, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, Charles V, Pablo Neruda, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George IV, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Benjamin Disraeli, Kirk Reuter, David Wells, Rubens, Lennart Torstenson, Peter Gomes, Alexander Hamilton, George Mason, Benjamin Franklin. (This info thanks to wikipedia.com)

Then again, maybe you haven't wondered...in which case consider the above a Bwanaian effort to bravely fight through his own pain and discomfort to expand your knowledge of physical maladies. Oh, if it helps to maintain said image, just pretend "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is playing in the background.