Histological Reassessment of Three Kidneys Originally Described by Richard Bright in 1827–36

Abstract

Portions of kidney from three patients with renal disease that were originally described by Richard Bright between 1827 and 1836 have been preserved in the Gordon Museum at Guy's Hospital. Histological study has shown that two cases fall into the current diagnostic category of mesangiocapillary (membranoproliferative) glomerulonephritis. One of these patients had a five-year clinical history and died with chronic renal failure and uraemia. The other patient died after three to four months with a severe nephrotic syndrome. The third patient was a young woman with chronic “phthisis pulmonalis” and renal amyloidosis. © 1972, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.