Nephrol Dial Transplant (2003) 18: 1281-1285
© 2003 European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association
Historical Note
Milk or albumin? The history of proteinuria before Richard Bright
Department of Nephrology and Transplantation, Guy's Campus, Guy's, St Thomas' and King's Medical School, King's College, London, UK
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Many physicians, historians—and even some nephrologists—remain under the impression that amongst Richard Bright's major contributions was the first description of proteinuria, which he detected by heating urine in a spoon held over a candle. Despite Bright's enormous achievements, nothing could be further from the truth.
Frederick Dekkers (1648–1720) and the work of Paracelsus (1493–1541)
In 1664, a chunky, square book based upon a therapeutic approach to medicine was published in Leiden in The Netherlands, by Frederick Dekkers [1], a pupil of Sylvius. In this, he wrote [the original is in Latin, as was the custom of the time]:
"I have also found that these [water of consumptives] when placed on the fire, soon become milky, really smelled like milk, and had the taste of sweet milk; when a drop or two of acetic acid were added to this, and it was then placed in the cool air, shortly a white rennet, namely the caseous part, sank toDomenico Cotugno (1736–1822). . . [Full Text of this Article]
Animal chemists tackle the problem: William Cruickshank (?–ca. 1811)
Brande, Wells and Blackall
Bright and Bostock
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