[On the history of kidney disease]

Except for infections (pyelonephritis, abscess of the kidney), which cause symptoms such as pyuria, pain and fever, most diseases of the renal parenchyma were unknown in Greek and Roman antiquity. Even in the Renaissance they were not yet properly identified. Edema was generally thought to be related to liver disease. Proteinuria was discovered at the end of the 18th century. In 1827 Bright provided the first, almost complete clinical description of the various forms of acute and chronic glomerulonephritis and showed that they were accompanied by macroscopic changes in the kidneys. Between 1850 and 1885, Frerichs, Klebs and Langhans described the primary glomerular lesions. The amount of new knowledge acquired during the 20th century has been tremendous, and covers the mechanism of urine formation, the role of sodium retention in edematous states, the physiology and physiopathology of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the glomerular origin of the nephrotic syndrome, new methods of investigation, progress in histology and immunology, the discovery of many tubular syndromes, the introduction of antibiotics and antihypertensive drugs, and the development of dialysis and transplantation.