In 1904 Falkenstein furnished collateral evidence that the starting point of gout lay in a diseased condition of the _gastric glands_, those responsible for the secretion of _hydrochloric acid_. The supply of hydrochloric acid being deficient in the gouty, their digestive capacity is distinctly lowered. Abnormal fermentation ensues with insufficient oxidation, and “the substances containing quantities of nuclein are partly prevented from being further split up, and partly favour the synthetic formation of uric acid.” He would thus refer the excessive formation of this latter directly to the diseased glands. He further observes that, despite the deficiency of hydrochloric acid, the gastric juice is often hyperacid, this being due to the presence therein of organic acids, such as butyric, lactic, and acetic acids. In the same year Chalmers Watson, as the outcome of investigations into gout as it occurs in the _fowl_, held that:— (_a_) There is ample evidence to prove that the uric acid in the blood is not the primary factor in gout, and (_b_) Uric acid can be deposited in cartilages and other tissues, even in considerable amount, without the association of any inflammatory phenomena. He concludes that the last-mentioned point clearly proves that:— (_c_) Uric acid is not the factor which causes the inflammatory phenomena characteristic of the acute attack. He then proceeds to inquire as to the nature of the toxic principles in the blood, and the factors that influence their passage thence into the tissues. In connection with these queries he emphasises the necessity of envisaging the all-important part played by the _alimentary canal_, holding that herein doubtless resides the clue to the solution of the problem. _Post-mortem_ examination of the fowl revealed marked catarrh of _ileum_, _duodenum_ and _large intestine_, while the pancreatic duct was filled with catarrhal products. The congested _spleen_, apart from proliferation of its endothelial elements, exhibited a marked increase in the number of _granular leucocytes_ in the capillaries and sinuses as compared with the features of the control sections, which, as Chalmers Watson observes, is the characteristic reaction of this organ to invasion by bacteria or their products. The kidneys on examination revealed here and there uratic deposits surrounded by inflammatory tissue. The relationship of these to the inter-lobular arteries was such as to suggest an _infection_ by the _blood stream_.