[The urological case reports of the Hippocratic Corpus : Medical practice in classical Greece]. / Die urologischen Fallberichte des Corpus Hippocraticum : Medizinische Praxis im klassischen Griechenland.

OBJECTIVE: Which theoretical and practical competences do the urologic case histories of the Hippocratic Corpus convey? MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 431 Hippocratic case histories have been studied for reports and communication on diagnostic methods, treatment, and prognosis related to urologic diseases. RESULTS: Within the seven books of the Hippocratic Epidemics, a total of 69 patients with urologic symptoms are described; in 21 cases the urologic disease is dominant. The leading clinical signs were urine discoloration and urinary sediment, polyuria, testicular swelling and pain, hematuria, stranguria, anuria, and renal pain, the most frequent diseases were nephritis and urolithiasis. Most patients were men in juvenile and adult age; 33 sick persons are named. The statements of patients regarding the course of their illness were often sparse. Diagnostic tests were restricted to inspection and palpation. Otherwise, treatment was confined to conservative measures. The dietary decisions for treatment of nephritis were differentiated but nonuniform. CONCLUSION: The Hippocratic physician diagnosed and treated diseases of the urinary tract. Inflammatory conditions and traumatic lesions are described in detail. Highest priority was awarded to uroscopy. Nephritis was a widespread disorder und usually associated with other symptoms, above all fever. The urinary tract was often regarded as an indicator of physical and mental health. Conservative treatment measures dominate in the case reports.

The history of urologic pathology: an overview.

This article begins with the testis and a legendary figure, Sir Astley Cooper, who wrote an early text on the organ. The early 20th century saw the first major development, the description of the seminoma by the French investigator Maurice Chevassu, but the pace of knowledge did not accelerate until after World War II with a major article from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) by Nathan B. Friedman and Robert A. Moore, soon followed by the first series testis fascicle by Frank J. Dixon and Moore. Other noteworthy contributions were made by two masters of gonadal pathology, Gunnar Teilum and Robert E. Scully. In the 1970s, Niels E. Skakkebaek played a seminal role in elaborating in-situ neoplasia of the testis. The school of British testicular tumour authored, in the mid-1970s, under the editorship of Roger C. B. Pugh, one of the best texts on testicular pathology. Advances in more recent years have been largely spearheaded by Thomas M. Ulbright of the Indiana University School of Medicine. Observations on the prostate gland date back to Andreas Vesalius and William Cheselden, the latter appearing to have introduced the word for the gland. Note is made of contributions on the anatomy and histology of the gland by Oswald Lowsley, L. M. Franks, and John McNeal. Diagnosing carcinoma of the prostate was brought into the modern age in a landmark 1953 article by Robert S. Totten et al. In the 1960s, Donald F. Gleason introduced a grading system that is now in use worldwide. The topic of premalignant lesions has been well established only for approximately three decades, based initially on the work of Dr McNeal and David G. Bostwick. One of the first to write a book on the bladder was the remarkable British surgeon-pathologist Sir Henry Thompson. Workers at the AFIP, including Colonel James E. Ash and Fatallah K. Mostofi, wrote many outstanding articles on bladder pathology. The roles of other institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University, the Mayo Clinic, and St Peter's Hospital Institute of Urology, London, and those who worked there are noted. Knowledge of the pathology of the urachus dates largely back to the remarkable book on the topic in 1916 by the Hopkins investigator Thomas S. Cullen. Information on renal tumours dates largely to the work of Paul Grawitz, but awareness of the many variants of renal cell carcinoma in general was slow to evolve, and has only accelerated in recent years. The AFIP group of Dr Mostofi, ably assisted by Colonel Charles J. Davis and Isabell A. Sesterhenn, has contributed to knowledge of renal neoplasia with articles of note on oncocytoma, metanephric adenoma, and medullary carcinoma. In the mid-1980s, the German workers Wolfgang Thoenes and Stephan Störkel recognised the distinctive tumour known as chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Work on renal tumours in the young owes much to J. Bruce Beckwith. The observational talents of numerous investigators have, in just over a century, advanced our knowledge of diseases of the urinary tract and testis remarkably.

[Outstanding contribution of german professors J. Israel (18481926) and M. Nitze (18481906) to clinical urology (to the 170th anniversary of their birth)].

The article describes the achievements of James Israel and Max Nitze, who were successfully developing European medicine for more than 30 years of their scientific and practical activities, enriching it with both experimental and large clinical experience. Their scientific and practical accomplishments greatly contributed to the development of modern urology. The author analyzes the fact that the history of medicine gives rich material not only for understanding evolution but also for the possibility to foresee its further development. The current state of clinical urology has been achieved by the progress of basic research in biology, physics, biochemistry, bacteriology, immunology, pharmacology. At the same time, the personality of the scientist-physician, his observation, non-standard view, the ability to see the opening perspectives, to bring up worthy successors and create a scientific and clinical school of urologists, is of utmost importance. The great German urologists J. Israel and M. Nitze had all these fundamental characteristics of a great scientist-physician.

Evolution of the Ureteral Stent: The Pivotal Role of the Gibbons Ureteral Catheter.

OBJECTIVE: To review the pioneering contributions of Dr. Robert Gibbons of Virginia Mason Medical Center to the evolution and development of the modern ureteral stent. METHODS: We reviewed Dr. Gibbons' extensive work through primary sources, including interviews, projector slides, radiology images, stent prototypes, his personal writings, and archived documents. In addition, we performed a review of historical texts and manuscripts describing important innovations in the development of the ureteral stent. RESULTS: In 1972, motivated by a desire to provide his patients with a long-term alternative to open nephrostomy and inspired by Drs. David Davis and Paul Zimskind, who in 1967 had described the use of indwelling ureteral silicone tubing, Dr. Gibbons began to experiment with modifications to improve upon existing stents. To address distal migration, Dr. Gibbons added "wings" that collapsed as the stent was advanced and expanded once in proper position to secure the stent in place. Barium was embedded into the proximal tip to facilitate radiographic visualization. A flange was added to the distal end, preventing proximal migration and minimizing trigonal irritation, and a tail was attached to aid in stent removal. The result was the original Gibbons stent, the first commercially available ureteral stent, and the establishment of Current Procedural Terminology code 52332, still used today. CONCLUSION: The ureteral stent is a fundamental component of urologic practice. In developing the Gibbons stent, Dr. Gibbons played a pivotal role in addressing the challenge of internal urinary diversion particularly for those who needed long-term management. Urologists and the patients they serve owe Dr. Gibbons and other surgeon-inventors a debt of gratitude for their innovative work.

Kidney Autotransplantation: Between the Past and the Future.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The practice of kidney autotransplantation (KAT) has become an increasingly favorable approach in the treatment of certain renovascular, ureteral, and malignant pathologies. Current KAT literature describes conventional open procedures, which are associated with substantial risks. We sought to compare previously reported outcomes, evaluate common surgical indications, and assess associated risks and benefits of current KAT methods. A thorough evaluation and review of the literature was performed with the keywords "autologous transplantation" and "kidney." RECENT FINDINGS: Early outcomes of robotic KAT are encouraging and have been associated with fewer complications and shorter hospital stay, but require robotic technique proficiency. KAT is an important method to manage selected complex urological pathologies. Robotic KAT is promising. Nevertheless, future studies should utilize larger patient cohorts to better assess the risks and benefits of KAT and to further validate this approach.

["When all of you will be forgotten, the name Israel will still be shining" : James Israel (1848-1926): a career in the German Empire and his nomination for the Nobel Prize]. / "Wenn Sie alle vergessen sein werden, wird der Name Israel noch leuchten" : James Israel (1848­1926): Eine Karriere im Deutschen Kaiserreich und seine Nominierung für den Nobelpreis.

In 1902, the Berlin Jewish urologist James Israel was nominated for the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Taking scholar, social, and political aspects into consideration, this biographical essay traces how James Israel gained a sound scientific reputation especially in kidney surgery within Imperial Germany and its antisemitic attitude and how he promoted urology to become a specialty in its own right.

The Poet and the Disease.

Ugo Foscolo, was an Italian writer, revolutionary and poet whose works rank among the masterpieces of Italian literature. Talented and well educated in philosophy, classics and Italian literature, Foscolo gave literary expression to his ideological aspirations and to his numerous amorous experiences in odes, sonnets, plays, poems and an epistolary novel. Concurrent with his rich literary output, Foscolo's correspondence represents a unique perspective from which to monitor his literary and political views and investigate aspects of his everyday life. Among other interesting information, one can find elements of Foscolo medical history which is generally unknown. In the present article we investigate the longstanding lower urinary tract symptoms as reported by the poet in his correspondence to his family and friends.

[C. E. Alken (1909-1986) and the Alken-Prize]. / C. E. Alken (1909-1986) und der Alken-Preis.

C. E. Alken is regarded as the Nestor of German urology post World War II. His development path is given in brief and his specific contributions to the emancipation of the field are pointed out. In 1948 he received a teaching assignment in urology at Saarland State University Homburg, where in 1952, a Chair of Urology was established, and in 1958 he received the Ordinariat. The "Alken-Prize" which was named after him, is also presented.

[More than just "stones" : On the history of urology in Regensburg]. / Mehr als nur "Steine" : Auf den Spuren der Urologie in Regensburg.

In recent years the regional aspects of medical history in the field of urology have been more intensively studied. There is already an interesting study on the history of urology in Rhineland. This article examines the checkered medical history aspects concerning urology in provincial areas of Germany, exemplified by the Bavarian town of Regensburg. The article combines the history of the over 1800-year-old town of Regensburg, one of the oldest German communities, with selected aspects of medical history and follows the route of "stones" from antiquity to the present day. The article explains what Regensburg, Galen of Pergamon and his professional colleagues from antiquity have in common, why monastery medicine was so successful here, how syphilis patients were treated in imperial cities (Reichsstädte), why one of the greatest "stone cutters" of the era met with an accident in the perpetual Reichstag town of Regensburg and how a main department of urology was finally founded after a delay but ultimately with tempo, which in 2003 led to the establishment of the most recent chair for urology in Germany.

[Scientific activity of the University Urological Department in Budapest after WWII (1946-1956)]. / Wissenschaftliche Aktivität der Urologischen Klinik in Budapest in der Nachkriegszeit (1946-1956).

The authors studied the publications written by the staff of the University Department of Urology in Budapest, Hungary between 1946 and 1956. The collection was contributed on the occasion of Professor Babics's 10-year-long chairmanship. Over a period of 10 years, 214 papers were published by 15 urologists, including 3 books and 3 PhD theses; 16 papers were published in German, 22 in English, 2 in French, and 1 in Italian. The most frequent topic of the papers (26) was basic science (e.g., ureter motility, lymph circulation, intrarenal pressure condition). Other papers dealt with nephrology, artificial kidneys, TURP, and nephron-sparing renal surgery. Some articles examined various types of malignant tumors and benign prostatic hyperplasia, while 17 publications focused on the topic of andrology. Tuberculosis was also discussed by the authors. Despite political isolation, the communist dictatorship, poverty, the lack of health equipment, physicians educated before WWII with their work morality and hard work managed to perform contemporary clinical and basic scientific research.

Herbal treatment of the urinary system diseases based on 16(th) and 17(th) century herbals in Poland.

The medicinal use of herbs is a principal achievement of human ingenuity. The most renowned doctors of antiquity: Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Theophrastus, Pliny the Elder and Galen mentioned herbs in their works. The first printed herbal was published in Mainz in 1485. Outstanding scientists e.g. Otto Brunfels, Hieronymus Bock, Leonard Fuchs and Andreo Mattiola published herbals in the 16th century. Polish doctors also contributed to the development of herbal treatment. The first work: Of Herbs and their Potency by Stefan Falimirz, published in 1534, triggered other publications in the 16th century, the age of herbals. In 1542, Hieronymus Spiczynski published a herbal: Of Local and Overseas Herbs and their Potency. Then, in 1568, Marcin Siennik published his: Herbal, which is the Description of Local and Overseas Herbs, their Potency and Application. In 1595, Marcin of Urzedow published: The Polish Herbal, the Books of Herbs. Completed in mid-16th century, it was only published 22 years after his death. The last work discussed is Herbal Known in Latin as published in 1613 by Simon Syrenius a graduate of Ingolstadt and Padua universities and lecturer at the Academy of Krakow. The work was Europes most complete elaboration on herbal treatment. The herbs described in the herbals worked as diuretics, demulcents, analgesics, relaxants and preventives of kidney stones. Published in Polish, they are still to be found in Poland. All the works presented herein are held by the Library of the Seminary of Wloclawek, and the Ossolinski National Institute in Wroclaw.

["The future must look to the past"* : Prof. Dr. Abraham Aaron Buschke (1868-1943) and Wilhelm Ludwig Löwenstein (1895-1959)]. / "Zukunft braucht Erinnerung"* : Prof. Dr. Abraham Aaron Buschke (1868-1943) und Wilhelm Ludwig Löwenstein (1895-1959).

Like many other areas of medicine, dermatology with its comparatively high proportion of Jewish physicians was also not spared from the National Socialist appointment policy with dismissals, laws on "appreciation of the people", research influenced by National Socialist policies, and persecution of Jewish physicians. Prof. Abraham Aaron Buschke and Dr. Wilhelm Ludwig Lowenstein, who were the first to describe the Buschke-Lowenstein tumor, also suffered this destiny. In March 1933, Professor Buschke was dismissed from the position of directing physician at the Virchow Hospital in Berlin and in 1934 his teaching license was revoked. Despite affidavits of his "loyalty to the regime", Dr. Lowenstein fared the same treatment.