Garrod Test
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
The Garrod test is a historical medical procedure used to demonstrate increased uric acid levels in the blood of gout patients. It involves placing a cotton thread in a slightly acidified blood serum sample, which then forms uric acid crystals if gout is present.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
Garrod Test (thread test; more correctly - Herrod, Garrod), first applied by Garrod to demonstrate the increase in uric acid in the blood of gout patients. It is performed as follows: a small amount of blood is taken from the subject; by standing, serum is obtained; the latter is then placed on a microscope slide or in some other small vessel and slightly acidified; a cotton thread is also placed into the serum for 24 hours. After this period, the thread is removed, and in the presence of gout, the thread is found to be abundantly covered with crystals of uric acid, which does not happen under normal conditions due to the significantly lower content of uric acid. Acidification promotes the precipitation of uric acid crystals. - The Garrod test is obsolete and is not currently used (newer methods - see Uric acid).
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Cite this page
“Garrod Test.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/garrod-test/