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Fred Rosner, MD
Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY

JAMA. 1969;207(1):151-152.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor:—

The first modern description of gout is attributed to Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689) in his classic work entitled "Tractatus de Podagra et Hydrope." This disease may have already been known, however, in biblical and talmudic times.

King Asa of Judah (915-875 BC) reigned happily and peacefully for over 40 years. In his old age, he suffered from a disease in his feet considered to be gout. The key passage is found in I Kings 15:23 where it states:

Now the rest of all the acts of Asa and all that he did and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age, he was diseased in his feet.

The fifth century Babylonian Talmud, in two separate discussions (Tractates Sanhedrin 48b and Sotah 10a), comments on King Asa's illness as follows: . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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