To the Editor.— I do not see how your readers can appreciate the cover picture, entitled "La Goutte et l'Araignee" ( 211, Jan 12, 1970) if they are unaware that this is an illustration of a fable by Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695). The tale of the gout and the spider has been traced to the ninth century and has been employed by numerous authors, including Petrarch (1338) and Hans Sachs, the Meistersinger (1550, 1557). The fable explains how gout came to be a disease of the wealthy. As recounted by La Fontaine in 1668, when given a choice of earthly resting places, the spider first selected a palace, and the gout, seeking to avoid contact with physicians, chose a humble cottage. There the gout Was at ease on a poor man's toe through which she could roam, Saying, `Disease has found an ideal home, Since it is not likely to