British contributions to renal physiology: Of dynasties and diuresis

British contributions to renal physiology trace back to the seminal contrib ution of William Bowman, who defined the structure of mammalian nephron and its blood supply and pointed out its likely mode of function. A series of contributions followed, which stemmed from a distinguished lineage of physi ologists based at University College London and which had, as its high poin t, the establishment by Ernest H. Starling, in 1899, of a method for measur ing oncotic pressure and the subsequent demonstration that glomerular filtr ation requires a hydrostatic pressure in excess of oncotic pressure in the glomerular capillaries. Arthur Cushny published a monograph on renal functi on in 1917 which had wide influence. The homeostasis of water and sodium ch loride were the subjects of important contributions by Verney and De Warden er, respectively. Little contribution was made by British renal physiologis ts to the understanding of single nephron function with the emphasis being largely on integrative physiology.