The Life and Death of An American Statesman.

John Hay was born in a small mid-western town and sent by his physician father to Brown University for his education. He returned to Springfield IL where he was hired by Abraham Lincoln as a personal secretary and stayed with Lincoln through the assassination. He then returned to private life, married into a wealthy family and developed a successful literary and investment career.

Gout in the Gilded Age: The Case of Richard Morris Hunt.

Richard Morris Hunt, a distinguished American architect of the late 19th century (the Gilded Age), had onset of gout at age 41 years. His attacks became more frequent and severe, eventually leading to chronic pain and disability. His medical care by highly regarded physicians resulted in very limited benefit, but through his dedication and work ethic, he remained productive until his death at age 67 years.

The King Is Dead: Clark Gable's Heart Attack.

Clark Gable was born in a small Ohio mining town and never finished high school. Stage struck as a young man, he did menial jobs while working his way up to movie stardom-his most famous role was in "Gone with the Wind." He married 5 times.

Wireless: The Life and Death of Guglielmo Marconi.

With little training in physics, Guglielmo Marconi developed the invention that stunned the world by wirelessly connecting ships and continents. Ten years before his death, he sustained a myocardial infarction followed by unmistakable angina pectoris. His personality and unhappy family life limited his ability to cope with his disease and to deal with Italy's most respected physicians.

Queen Alexandra's Knee.

In 1867, Alexandra, the 22-year-old Princess of Wales, late in her third pregnancy, had sudden onset of a febrile illness. There was a brief period of migratory arthritis, followed by persistent, severe inflammation in 1 knee. A diagnosis of rheumatic fever was made by her physicians, but the course of her illness differed greatly from the expected one.

Did Michelangelo Have Gout?

Michelangelo, the great Renaissance artist, is often included on lists of celebrated gout patients. His letters describe a single acute attack of foot pain at the age of 80, but a case for early onset has been presented, based on a fresco by a contemporary artist, Raphael. A figure resembling Michelangelo at the age of 36 appears to have nodules resembling tophi over his knees.

Peggy's Pain and the Creation of Gone With the Wind.

Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), author of the best-selling novel Gone With the Wind had chronic, widespread pain for most of her adult life. She was accident prone and sustained injuries leading to unexpectedly prolonged periods of recovery and had unusual illnesses that puzzled her physicians. Starting at an early age, Mitchell, or "Peggy" as she was called by family and friends, had a burning ambition to be a writer, and her painful, chronic illness created conditions that allowed her to achieve this goal.

Rheumatic disease in wartime: gouty generals in battles lost or won.

Leadership by a commander is an important determinant of military outcomes. This report describes 2 19th-century wars in which the commanding general was afflicted with severe, disabling gout. In the First Afghan War (1839-1942), the result was disastrous, but in the Spanish-American War (1898), subordinates ignored the general's orders and saved the day.

A Renaissance Pope with arthritis following frostbite.

Pius II, a 15th century Pope, developed chronic foot pain following frostbite at age 30. Later in life he was progressively disabled by arthritis elsewhere and by colic, which may have been due to kidney stones. The differential diagnosis of his rheumatic disease and its effect on his career are discussed.

Reconceptualizing John F. Kennedy's chronic low back pain.

When the medical records for John Fitzgerald Kennedy were made public, it became clear that the 35th President of the United States suffered greatly from a series of medical illnesses from the time he was a toddler until his assassination in November of 1963. Aside from having Addison disease, no condition seemed to cause him more distress than did his chronic low back pain. A number of surgical procedures to address the presumed structural cause of the pain resulted in little relief and increased disability.

The tale of a city saved by gout and a letter from Jesus.

In the 6th century a Persian invasion of the eastern provinces of the Roman empire resulted in the devastation of several cities. Edessa alone was spared, and it was widely believed that this city had divine protection because of postal communication over 5 centuries earlier between its gouty ruler and Jesus Christ. These events are reviewed in detail herein.

Theodore Roosevelt's inflammatory rheumatism.

Theodore Roosevelt's death at age 60 was probably caused by a pulmonary embolus, but it was preceded by a 2 1/2-month illness described as inflammatory rheumatism. He had intermittent fever and acute arthritis in several joints leading to hospitalization and enforced bed rest for 6 weeks. The details of his illness and its possible etiology are reviewed.

Sarah's Knee: A Famous Actress With Chronic, Inflammatory Monoarthritis.

Sarah Bernhardt had a recurrent and later persistent inflammatory arthritis of her right knee for more than 25 years. She probably had pulmonary tuberculosis, starting a dozen years before the arthritis, and her chronic synovitis may have been tuberculous. Several months in a cast led to deterioration and later amputation of the leg, an outcome that might have been prevented by surgical arthrodesis.

Garibaldi's rheumatism.

Giuseppe Garibaldi, the charismatic 19th-century Italian revolutionary leader, had complaints of recurrent and often persistent rheumatic pain starting in his early 40s. Symptoms continued until his death at 74, with progressive disability. His diagnosis is uncertain, but rheumatoid arthritis is most likely.