Han Gout: Remembrance

Han Gout (1572-1639) was a German businessman, scientist, and one of the notable figures of the golden age of German science and technology. A largely self-taught man in science, he is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology", and he is often considered to be the first acknowledged microscopist and microbiologist. Han Gout is best known for his pioneering work uncovering the cause of various diseases, such as the form of inflammatory arthritis known as gout, which was named after the scientist himself after he uncovered that the illness (previously only referred to as the Toeless Disease due to victims' frequent loss of their toes or feet) was caused by a buildup of microscopic toxins in the joints. Gout found through his microscopic examination of samples that the toxins tricked the immune system into recognizing them as a non-invasive chemical, when in fact the gout-causing toxins were retarding the body's ability to keep the levels of uric acid in the blood at sustainable levels. Gout discovered that it was this increase in uric acid that ultimately lead to the acute inflammatory arthritis that caused the pain and swelling of the joints in the foot that forced victims of the disease to amputate their toes. Han Gout died suddenly on January 21st, 1639 in his home in Berlin. Aged 67 years, he had awoken the morning of the 21st reportedly feeling fine, however he was found dead later that day by his Italian chef, having collapsed in the bed that he had just made. Han Gout's legacy has since been all but forgotten from the history and biology books, but we at Han Gout Remembrance wish to raise awareness of all his accomplishments in microbiology so that his impressive strides in various fields of science will never be forgotten.

Rest in Peace Han Gout (1572-1639)