Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
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"Recognizing that we have the kind of internal environment we have because we have the kind of kidneys we have, we must acknowledge that our kidneys constitute the major foundation of our physiological freedom. Only because they work the way they do has it become possible for us to have bones, muscles, glands, and brains. Superficially, it might be said that the function of the kidneys is to make urine; but in a more considered view one can say that the kidneys make the stuff of philosophy itself."
Homer W. Smith |
Homer Smith and the Physiology of the Kidney
For three decades spanning the middle of this century, Homer W. Smith (1895-1962) was a major figure in physiology. His initial interest was in the comparative physiology of body fluid composition, but it is his later interest in the kidney for which he is most remembered. Indeed, many of the concepts and most of the nomenclature used in modern nephrology was developed or popularized by Smith and his colleagues. These include creatinine clearance, inulin-estimated glomerular filtration rate, and transport capacity. His scientific accomplishments, together with his talents as a writer and educator, have influenced generations of renal physiologists and nephrologists.
The illustration is from the collection of online images available through the National Library of Medicine.