The Reason why the Gout affects particularly the Hands and Feet, and
not all the Joints together, where Glands of the same Nature are
placed, seems to be this: The Blood vitiated in the Manner before
explained, propelling these saline Parts into the Pores of the Glands,
from the inequality of its Motion in the Time of a Fit, does not
impel those Salts with an equable Force, but chiefly into such Parts
(especially the Feet and other pendulous Members) where the Pressure
and Impulse lies heaviest; so dilates the Cavities of the smallest
Canals, till at length it deposits Part of such Salts, with other
viscid Humours, upon those Glands. Thus being partly freed from those
Salts, the Gout does not seize other Parts with the same Violence;
for frequently a large Quantity of such vitiated Humours are secerned
by Urine, Sweat, and other more open Passages; and it even often
happens, that Persons whose Juices are much corrupted, have avoided the
Distemper by the Laxity and Openness of their Vessels; yet these very
Persons, when the Blood becomes oppressed by these saline Particles
in so great Degree, as not to be readily discharged by the larger
Passages, they affect the Mucilage in the Glands and occasion the Gout.