The rich, George Eliot noted in the 19th century, “ate and drank freely”. Then, when gout came, they accepted the disease not as a consequence of indulgence but as something that “ran mysteriously in respectable families”.
Gout, it seems, is running a lot more in families, respectable or otherwise, today. A study has found an “alarming” rise in the condition in every country, including Britain. After adjusting for age, there has been an 11 per cent rise in cases in western Europe since 1990, and 6 per cent in the world as a whole.
In the 21st century, the scientists conclude, a lot more of us are rich enough to live like the port-swilling gourmands of yesteryear. “Gout burden was found to be higher in
