1800s
FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN NEPHROLOGY
Very early accounts of acute kidney injury appeared in 1821: John Abercrombie, Ischuria Renalis.
But the pivotal UK figure in the 19th century who transformed our understanding of kidney disease was Richard Bright (1789-1858). He made the observation (now so obvious to us that we may easily forget its impact) that proteinuria and dropsy (i.e. oedema) were associated with kidney disease.
- Before Bright – UK observations that may have contributed to Bright’s interest and insights.
- Richard Bright – founder of nephrology, and perhaps the first renal ‘unit’ (ward).
- Following Bright – early followers who extended Bright’s findings and contributed to wider appreciation of renal disease
In the 1870s it first became possible to assess blood pressure in a clinically meaningful way, led by the work of Akbar Mohamed, also from Guy’s Hospital
See also a presentation given by Stewart Cameron in 2015 on 19th century UK nephrology
Last Updated on January 7, 2025 by neilturn