gout has been from time immemorial a fruitful bone of contention. As the last holder of the bone, I have picked it to the best of my ability, and in again throwing it into the arena of medical discussion, I must adopt the language of the heralds of old, “Dieu defend le droit." Doubtless some of my professional friends who hold opinions at variance with mine, will sharpen their pens (their wits, ever keen, will not require it) in order to enter the lists of medical literature, and run a tilt with me in defence of their own views. To this I can offer no objection, as I feel assured that however much we may differ on points of physiology, pathology, or therapeutics, we shall be unanimous in our desire to promote the cause of truth, to elevate that science in which we have a common interest, to rescue this disease from the empiricism which has hitherto surrounded it, and to raise it to that position which from its importance it is entitled to hold, not merely within the pale of the Practice, but also of the Science of Medicine.
2, Suffolk Place, Pall Mall East,
January 1st, 1858.