Rubbing Elbows with Gouty Kings

I can only write this post because the pain in 'my left foot' is not at its peak level at this time. Thank God! The indomethecine capsule I have taken with a full glass of water couple hours ago has somehow choked some of cells in my brain somewhere and they are not transmitting their signals. To be more precise, the cells meant to transmit may still be, foolishly, sending their signals not knowing that no one is receiving them on the other end.

The numbness induced by Indomethcine may also be the reason for the thought coming to my mind of writing a lighter post about, of all things, gout. But I don't know how long the humor will last.

When I read the biography of Benjamin Disraeli a years ago I found out that he was a gouty. Today when I was surfing internet I came across some other celebrities who were also gouties. I feel a kind of pride that, after all, the company I keep is not a bad one.

But that does not mean that I will be known by the company I keep because probably gout is the only characteristic I have common with them.

Actually the first book I ever read about any American was the autobiography of the First American, Ben Franklin. It was an abridged little book whaich I had bought from Hero's Old Book Shop in a side alley of New Anar Kali Bazar, Lahore, sometime in late seventies.

At that time, somehow, I did not notice that Ben had gout. May be it was the part abridged. Publisher did not deem it important? Too painful? It is impossible Ben himself abridged it. Gout is too painful to ignore. It assumes centrality and every thing else kind of recedes to the peripherial spaces, especailly when it flares up.

May be it was there. It did not register because I had no clue at that tender age that one day I will be rubbing elbows with him and other celebrities of past.

Later on when I read Disraeli's life only thing which stuck out was gout.

Matter of fact, gout was known as the “Disease of Kings” due to its association with rich foods and alcohol consumption and kings. Henry VIII, Charles V, and George IV had it.

So did Nostradamus, John Milton, Isaac Newton, Samuel Johnson, , Pablo Neruda, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Thomas Jefferson, William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham William B. Finneran, Kirk Reuter and Benjamin Franklin.