RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Philip S. Hench’s Rheumatology Axiomatic Generalizations JF The Journal of Rheumatology JO J Rheumatol FD The Journal of Rheumatology SP 2664 OP 2670 DO 10.3899/jrheum.110606 VO 38 IS 12 A1 GENE G. HUNDER A1 LEROY GRIFFING YR 2011 UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/38/12/2664.abstract AB Philip S. Hench, MD, the first Mayo Clinic rheumatologist, came to Mayo Clinic in 1921. Because of his efforts in patient care, education, and research, and those of his colleagues, Mayo Clinic has been considered the first academic rheumatology center established in the United States. An early, popular lecture he gave to the internal medicine residents was an important and unique part of the rheumatology education program and was entitled “Axiomatic Generalizations Useful in the Diagnosis of Rheumatic Diseases.” We review the axioms in light of the status of rheumatology in the 1920s and 1930s when they were written, and assess their relevance today, 70 to 80 years later.