THE DIET IN GOUT 193 



forms. While the harmful effects of the latter upon gout 

 are not understood in a theoretical way, that they are real is 

 proved from a practical standpoint. Finally, thorough 

 flushing of the body with water seems a rational measure. 

 These provisions form the theoretical fundamentals of diet 

 in gout, as the author understands them. For the rest he 

 would refer to the methods of practicing physicians as they 

 appear in numerous monographs. It would be impolitic and 

 essentially wrong to simply ignore whatever judicious objec- 

 tive observers have found appropriate after decades of study 

 merely because no theoretical explanation therefor has been 

 found. It should never be forgotten that the observations 

 of the practitioner may be true and the theories may be 

 false, and that a judicious natural scientist generally values 

 the former more than he does the latter. But unfortunately 

 objective observation, especially in the treatment of chronic 

 internal affections, is endless and difficult, and for that very 

 reason this has been and will be at all times and among all 

 people the favorite field for both scientific and unscientific 

 charlatanry. 



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