Giovan Battista Morgagni, a pioneer of clinical nephrology

In the 18th century, Giovanni Battista Morgagni was the first to propose th at specific signs and symptoms are linked to particular anatomical changes at autopsy and that these changes were the cause of the disease. This paper describes the report by Morgagni wherein he linked the anatomic findings a t autopsy, specifically atrophied kidneys, with the signs and symptoms of a disease now known as uremia. From these findings, Morgagni felt that he ha d identified the factors responsible for the disease as well as its clinica l course.