THE METABOLISM IN GOUT 



429 



tating uric acid. But to obtain even a qualitative test it was necessary 

 to take more than 75 c.c. of blood. In the cases in which positive results 

 were obtained by Brugsch and Schittenhelm(a) 100 to 200 c.c. of blood 

 were removed by venesection. The quantitative methods employed by these 

 earlier investigators would fail to reveal moderate amounts of uric acid 

 (1 to 2 mg.) and yet would give too high figures if any uric acid at all 

 were found (Folin and Denis (c)). 



In 1912 Folin and Macallum called attention to the possibilities of the 

 use of phosphotungstic acid in the colorimetric estimation of uric acid. 

 This color reaction on which the method of Folin and Denis (c) was based 

 is so delicate that one part of uric acid can be recognized in a million parts 

 of water. Their method was published in January, 1913. They reported 

 the blood analysis obtained in five cases of gout. The uric acid ranged 

 from 3.5 mg. to 5.5 mg. per 100 grams of blood. The following May 

 Pratt (a) reported before the Association of American Physicians analyses 

 made in Folin's laboratory of the blood in 11 cases of gout. The detailed 

 findings are given in the following table : 



TABLE I 

 Milligrams of Uric Acid Per 100 Grams of Blood in Cases of Gout 



Benedict(a) in 1915 published a modification of Folin's method which 

 materially simplified it. In 1919 Folin and Wu described a simpler and 

 more accurate procedure for uric acid determinations. 



Normally 1 to 3 mg. of uric acid are present per 100 grams of blood, 

 but in gout 3 to 9 mg. are found. Low figures have been reported by my- 



