Philip S. Hench's rheumatology axiomatic generalizations.

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.