Origins of Renal Physiology (Dedicated to Carl Gottschalk)

History of Renal Physiology in Germany during the 19th Century
Klaus Hierholzer^a, Karl Julius Ullrich<sup>b

a</sup>Department of Clinical Physiology, Free University of Berlin, and
^bMax Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

Address of Corresponding Author

Am J Nephrol 1999;19:243-256 (DOI: 10.1159/000013458)

  Key Words

• Renal physiology
• Henle
• Ludwig
• Heidenhain
• Fick
• Helmholtz
• du Bois-Reymond

  Abstract

The roots of renal physiology in Germany in the last century have been traced. Vitalistic concepts became replaced by physical, chemical and mechanistic laws which govern biological processes. First, the main exponents of renal physiology, J. Henle, C. Ludwig and R.P.H. Heidenhain, are discussed, then the (indirect) contributions of A. Fick, K. Peter, H. Helmholtz, E. du Bois-Reymond, J.L. Schönlein and A. Dohrn are evaluated. The original literature bearing on renal physiology in the 19th century is screened by a survey of publications in Pflügers Archiv and Archiv der experimentellen Pathologie und Pharmakologie. We point to the international cooperation in the field. At the turn of the century, renal function was adequately described by a theory of glomerular filtration, tubular secretion and tubular reabsorption.

  Author Contacts

Prof. Klaus Hierholzer
Schlappengasse 12
D-78476 Allensbach (Germany)
Tel./Fax +49 7533 3619

  Article Information

Number of Print Pages : 14
Number of Figures : 6, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 65