The Gout

The Gout is one of the best known of all of Gillray's prints. It is also among the most brilliant as both an accurate visual representation of the ailment and an even more vivid portrayal of what it feels like for those who suffer from it.

According to the Mayo Clinic,

Gout is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone. It's characterized by sudden severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in the joints, often the joint at the base of the big toe.
An attack of gout can occur suddenly, often waking you up in the middle of the night with the sensation that your big toe is on fire. The affected joint is hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of the sheet on it may seem intolerable.

Risk factors for gout include a diet rich in meats and a fondess for alcoholic beverages, especially beer and fruity wines such as port, claret, or punch. It appears more commonly among men than women and especially among older men (30-50) who are obese. So it is not surprising that in the 18th century when the indulgence in meats and port among gentlemen and aristocrats reached epic proportions, gout was common, or that it was called a "rich man's disease." You had to have money to afford a diet like that.

18th century caricature is filled with images of gouty old men whose legs were swathed in flannel and elevated upon "gout stools" for relief and for protection against shocks. In Rowlandson's work there are legions. In Gillray's, we have a perfect example in Punch cures the Gout, the Colic, and the 'Tisick. But his print, The Gout, is nearly unique and certainly preeminent in capturing the excruciating pain of the condition.

Sources and Reading

• Commentary from the British Museum on The Gout.
• Draper Hill, Fashionable Contrasts, 1966, # 92.
• Draper Hill, The Satirical Etchings of James Gillray, 1976, Pl. 64
• "Gout," Wikipedia
• "Gout," Mayo Clinic
• Thomas Wright and R.H. Evans, Historical and Descriptive Account of the Caricatures of James Gillray #454.
• Thomas Wright and Joseph Grego, The Works of James Gillray, the Caricaturist; With the History of His Life and Times, p. 264.

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