The Indispensable Ally - The Pathologist’s Pre-eminent Role in Renal Medicine through the Ages

[摘要] In the mid-17th century, Italian physicianMarcello Malpighi first described themicroscopic anatomy of human kidneys using anearly microscope developed by the Englishpolymath Robert Hooke. However, it was notuntil the mid-18th century that microscopicpathology was used as a useful tool fordiagnosing renal disease. William Bowman, anEnglish physician (1816-1892) improved onMalpighi’s work and described the proximalnephron, a part of which carries his name- theBowman’s capsule [1]. Richard Bright (1789-1858) of London Guy’s Hospital, often called theFather of Nephrology, elucidated the laboratoryand clinical features of acute glomerulonephritisdepending on macroscopic rather thanmicroscopic descriptions [2]. Acute nephriticsyndrome was called Bright’s disease until theearly nineteen seventies.

[学科分类] 生理学与病理学