Reviews and Notes: History of Medicine: History of Nephrology

History of Nephrology

G Eknoyan, NG De Santo, G Capasso, and SG Massry. 244 pages. New York: Karger; 1994. $64.50. ISBN 3-8055-6072-9. Order phone 212-321-9886.

Not a complete history by any means; it does not cover transplantation or dialysis, and some of the articles have rather flimsy connections to the title. Reprinted from the American Journal of Nephrology (1994; 14:4-6), which published the transactions of the first International History of Nephrology Conference, held in Italy in 1993 under the sponsorship of the University of Naples, Baylor University, and the Istituto Italiano Studi Filosofici. Subjects include the origin of nephrology; early contributors to the field, such as Aristotle and Maimonides; and the beginnings of renal pharmacology. The papers are uneven, but the book as a whole should be of interest to those curious about the origins of modern medicine and, especially, the development of understanding about the kidney. Subject and author index, illustrations.