Sir Robert Christison (1797-1882): A neglected founder of nephrology

Journal of Nephrology

Volumn 16, Issue 5, 2003, Pages 766-773

  Cameron, J Stewart ^a,b   Hicks, Jackie ^a  

^a KING'S COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

^b NONE   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

History of Bright's disease; History of jurisprudence; History of nephrology; History of pharmacology; History of uremia; Sir Robert Christison

Indexed keywords

TOXIN;

ACHIEVEMENT; ACUTE DISEASE; ANEMIA; ASCITES; BLOOD ANALYSIS; CAREER; CONFERENCE PAPER; DISEASE ASSOCIATION; HISTORY OF MEDICINE; HUMAN; JURISPRUDENCE; KIDNEY DISEASE; KIDNEY FAILURE; MICROSCOPY; NEPHRITIS; NEPHROLOGY; PHARMACOLOGY; PROTEINURIA; PUBLICATION; QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS; STIMULUS RESPONSE; UREMIA; ART; ARTICLE; HISTORY; UNITED KINGDOM;

HISTORY, 18TH CENTURY; HISTORY, 19TH CENTURY; HUMANS; KIDNEY DISEASES; NEPHROLOGY; PORTRAITS; SCOTLAND;

EID: 1442282924     PISSN: 11218428     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (34)

1. Christison R. The life of Sir Robert Christison, Bart. Edited by his sons. In two volumes. I Autobiography; II Memoirs. Blackwood, Edinburgh, 1885. Vol I of this work contains his autobiographical account up to 1831, and vol II appreciations by colleagues, and a more or less complete bibliography of his writings.
2. Anon. (TKJ), Brown J, Sir Robert Christison. Edin Med Surg J 1882; 27: 852-864. I have not been able to establish the identity of the first and principal obituarist.
3. Dictionary of National Biography Vol 2, pp 290-292.
4. Anon. - no title (Obituary. Sir Robert Christison). Lancet 1882; i: 193.
5. Obituary. Sir Robert Christison. Br Med J 1882; i: 214-5.
6. Sir Robert Christison. The Scotsman, January 28th 1882.
7. Anon. Report of Proceedings at the public dinner in honour of Sir Robert Christion, Bart. MD., D.C.L., President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, etc. etc. on Friday February 23rd 1872. Edinburgh. Printed for Private Circulation, 1872. Copy in library of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. This dinner was held to mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his professorship.
8. Bright R. Reports of medical cases volume I. Longman, Orme, Rees, London 1827.
9. Anon. Christison R. Review of Bright's Reports of medical cases etc. Edin Med Surg J 1828; 96: 107-16, ibid 97: 372-381.
10. Christison R. Observations on the variety of dropsy which depends upon diseased kidney. Edin Med Surg J 1829; 32: 262-91.
11. Christison R. On the cause of the milky and whey-like appearances sometimes observed in the blood. Edin Med Surg J 1830; 33: 274-80.
12. Christison R. On granular degeneration of the kidnies and its connexion with dropsy, inflammations and other diseases. Adam and Charles Black, Edinburgh, 1839.
13. Mayer J, Rokitansky C. Ueber die Granular-Entartung der Nieren und ihre Verbindung mit Wassersucht, Entzündungen und anderen Krankheiten. Aus dem Englischen Uebersetzt von Johann Mayer, mit Anmerkungen versehen von Carl Rokitansky. C. Gerold, Wien, 1841.
14. Bright R. Cases and observations illustrative of renal disease accompanied by the secretion of albuminous urine. Guy's Hosp Rep 1836; 1: 338-79. Bright notes only, of those in the chronic phase of the disease that "after a time the healthy colour of the countenance fades".
15. Christison R. Diseases of the urine and urinary tract. In: A system of practical medicine comprised in a series of original dissertations. Arranged and edited by Tweedie A. Whittaker, London 1840; 4: 215-99.
16. Abercrombie J. Observations on ischuria renalis. Edin Med Surg J 1821; 10: 210-22.
17. Cumin W. Cases of severe burns, with dissection and remarks. Edin Med Surg J 1823; 19: 337-44.
18. Osler W. The principles and practice of Medicine. Appleton, New York, 1909; 741-2.
19. Christison R. Bright's disease of the kidneys (delivered 11th and 18th March 1851). Edin Monthly J Med Sci 1851; 12: 551-73.
20. Fogazzi GB, Cameron JS. Urinary microscopy from the seventeenth century to the present day. Kidney Int 1996; 50: 1058-68.
21. The first microscopical studies of the diseased kidneys were published by Valentin (ref [21]) in 1837, followed by those of Gluge (1839), Hecht (1839), Becquerel (1841), Bowman (1842) - who studied diseased kidneys as well as normal ones-Henle (1842), Quain 1843, Canstatt (1844), Eichholz 1844/5, Johnson (1846 - ref [22]), Simon 1846, as well as Toynbee (1846) - who however made no sections, but used microdissection. The limitations of thick sections, and absence of tissue staining until the middle 1850s, held up progress in this area. The history of early attempts to study renal histology has yet to be written.
22. Valentin G. Repertorium für Anatomie und Pathologie. Huber, Bern St Gall 1837; 11 (2): 290-1.
23. However John Charles Weaver Lever (1811-1858) of Guy's Hospital had first described albuminuria during eclampsia in 1843. Cases of puerperal convulsions, with remarks. Guy's Hosp Rep 1843; 2nd ser 1; 495-517.
24. Johnson G. On the minute anatomy and pathology of the Bright's disease of the kidney, and on the relation of the renal disease to those diseases of the liver, heart and arteries with which it is commonly associated. Med Chir Trans 1846; 29: 1-24.
25. Christison R. A dispensatory or commentary on the pharmcopoieias of Great Britain, comprising the natural history, description, chemistry pharmacy, actions, uses, and doses of the materia medica. Edinburgh 1842 (second edition 1848).
26. Christison R. A treatise on poisons in relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physic. Edinburgh, 1829 (subsequent editions 1832, 1835, and 1845).
27. Robinson M. The life of Sophia Jex-Blake. Macmillan, London, 1918.
28. Cameron JS, Hicks JA. Frederick Akbar Mahomed and his role in the discovery of essential hyptertension at Guy's Hospital. Kidney Int 1996; 49: 1488-506.
29. Cameron JS, Hicks JA. High blood pressure and the kidney: the forgotten contribution of William Senhouse Kirkes. Kidney Int 2000; 57: 724-34.
30. Rayer P. Traité des maladies des reins. Ballière, Paris 1840. 3 vols and atlas.
31. Cameron JS. Towards the millennium: a history of renal anaemia and the optimal use of epoetin. Nephrol Dial Transplant 1999; (suppl 2): S10-21.
32. Brown GE, Roth GM. The anemia of chronic nephritis. Arch Intern Med 1922; 30: 817-40.
33. Brown GE, Roth GM. Prognostic value of anemia in chronic glomerulonephritis. JAMA 1923; 81; 1948-50.
34. Parsons L, Ekola-Stromberg M. Anemia in azotemia. Am J Med Sci 1933; 185: 181-90.