Dropsy, Dialysis, Transplant

Download or read book Dropsy, Dialysis, Transplant written by Steven J. Peitzman and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2007-12-31 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The kidneys are sophisticated organs that filter waste from the blood. A number of diseases and disorders--including diabetes and hypertension--can harm the kidneys and cause them to fail. Historian and nephrologist Steven J. Peitzman traces the medical history of kidney disease alongside the personal experience of illness. Drawing on diaries, letters, and literary narratives, as well as on scientific writings, Peitzman charts the triumphs of medical innovators like Richard Bright, Thomas Addis, and Belding Scribner as well as the stories of persons, famous and not, who have struggled with the disease. Treatments have evolved from abdominal tapping and dietetics to hemodialysis and transplantation. Medical advances have improved the well-being and prognosis of persons with failing kidneys. Yet such persons remain on an arduous journey of chronic illness. Peitzman travels with them, from diagnosis to treatment, and witnesses their remarkable ability to cope.--From publisher description.