Charcot's links with Britain Remember Charcot's contribution to rheumatology

EDITOR, - As a Frenchman, I was delighted to read the article by Raymond Hierons commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Jean-Martin Charcot.1 Yet, as a rheumatologist, I was surprised that a large piece of Charcot's work was not mentioned. His medical thesis was devoted to rheumatoid arthritis, and in his famous book Lecons Cliniques sur les Maladies des Vieillards he is credited with the first description of both rheumatoid pericarditis and hand deformations. The latter is still quoted in recent rheumatology textbooks.

As Charcot's links with Britain are the focus of Hieron's article, it is interesting …