Publisher's Synopsis
In the few decades since nephrology has been recognized as a specific discipline of medicine, interest in its origins has been steadily growing. This has been reflected in the increased number of articles which have been published on the subject. This publication, which contains contributions from the First International Conference on the History of Nephrology, is the first attempt to provide an organized approach to tracing the origins of this important field of medicine.;It begins with an overview of the historical origins of nephrology in the medical texts of Greco-Roman, Arabic, Asian, Biblical, Monastic and Renaissance medicine. This is followed by a review of the work of some of the early contributors to nephrology. The book then examines the beginnings of renal pharmacology, the history of research into hypertension and discusses early conceptualization of diseases of the kidney. A survey of the contributions of the Salemo School of Medicine to nephrology concludes this comprehensive study.