A man’s foot began hurting one evening. By the following
morning pain was excruciating.
That sounded like gout, one of my favorite diseases. The
diagnosis is easy, and I can quickly make it better. What’s not to like?
I carry a treatment for gout, but once I hand it over, I
have to remember to restock my bag. So I went to my drug closet, made up
another bottle of pills, and threw it in my pocket.
Sometimes I’m surprised when I arrive at the hotel but
not this time. He had gout. I produced the pills from my pocket, and everyone
was satisfied.
It occurs to me that I’ve seen so many victims – this
was my 80th – that I can check the experts. They claim that it
attacks men overwhelmingly. Sure enough, only seven of my patients were women.
They say it’s a disease of older people. 67 cases were over 40, none under 30.
Until a few years ago, treatment was a powerful
anti-inflammatory drug such as indomethacin which produced unpleasant
side-effects. Then experts decided a large dose of cortisone for a short period
worked as well with less unpleasantness. I already carry an identical course to
treat severe poison ivy. Patients feel better within a day.
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