Nephrology Before Nephrology in Poland

It was in the 1950s that nephrology crystallized as an independent specialty out of internal medicine. However, references to modern nephrology appeared in the works of doctors much earlier. Some researchers consider Hippocrates to be the father of clinical nephrology, while John Merrill is widely regarded as a specialty founder of modern nephrology. The situation is similar in Poland, where early references to urinary tract diseases appeared in medieval works of Polish authors. Poland's first clinic of nephrology, established in Wroclaw in 1958, was managed by Zdzislaw Wiktor. During the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association and International Association for the History of Nephology congresses, Polish authors presented precursors of nephrology, including Thomas of Wroclaw, Simon Sirenius, Samuel Goldflam, Jozef Dietl, Jedrzej Sniadecki, Marceli Landsberg, and Witold and Tadeusz Orlowski. This article focuses on late 19th and early 20th century giants who contributed to the development of nephrology in Poland. The period discussed covers memorable milestones in the history of Poland, ranging from the long-term Russian, Prussian, and Austro-Hungarian annexation through World War 1, after which the country regained its independence, to World War 2. These scientists represented clinical medicine and basic sciences, such as pathologic anatomy, physiology, and physiologic chemistry, and came from 3 different regions of Poland. Professor Tadeusz Browicz was associated with the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Professor Anastazy Landau worked in Warsaw, and Stefan Dabrowski represented the University of Poznan. Although based on the cooperation with European universities, their works were published in Polish, preventing them from gaining wide recognition in the European medical community of the time. Therefore, presenting their achievements to a wider group of historians after such a long time seems justified.