Gout Stool?

From our accession papers, we know that Dr. Francis Palfrey gave the society a "gout stool," which may be the low stool pictured here. The seat of the stool is just 10½ inches high, yet 14 inches deep by up to 15 inches wide. The proportions are a bit odd for a child's stool, though they are in part dictated by the grain of the thick burl from which the seat is cut.

A gout stool is a low stool like this one, for resting a foot and calf upon to ease the pain of gout. Gout stools often have an adjustable seat to support the calf, or at least will rock back on two legs to accomplish the same.