Depictions of the kidney through the ages

Recent publications [American Journal of Nephrology (1985-1995)] have contributed much to our understanding of the history of nephrology. Whether the earliest medical knowledge of the kidney was kindled in Egypt, by the Hindus in India, in ancient China, or by Assyro-Babylonians we cannot determine with certainty. What is known is that the invention of the printing press (circa 1450 AD), with the subsequent availability of translations of earlier writings plus new text editions, contributed in prodigious measure to the development of the critical and questioning character of medicine. The availability of different book illustration techniques also contributed to the development of medical knowledge. We have examined major descriptions of the kidney in 16th-, 17th- and 18th-century original works, all held by the Becker Medical Library, Washington University. The accuracy of illustrations of the observed kidney was highly variable, but each description has its place in book and 'kidney' history.