Bright's Disease is a historical classification of kidney disease which was first described in 1827 by the English physician Richard Bright. Now commonly called acute or chronic nephritis, it was treated with blood-letting to reduce blood pressure, warm baths, diuretics, and laxatives. Sometimes dietary modifications were suggested which involved alkali and acid balance through consuming various foods and drink, lowering the kidney's involvement with blood pH balancing.
Fascinating advertisement. And thanks for giving the details, too.
ReplyDeleteRegina
Very interesting post! How many times Bright's Disease was listed on a death certificate and I never really looked into what that meant. Thanks for posting - I look forward to reading more on Tangled Trees.
ReplyDeleteCindy
Dropsy and salt rheum and scrofulous humors, oh my!!
ReplyDeleteI had to look up scrofulous. Scrofula is a form of tuberculosis characterized by swellings of the lymphatic glands. Scrofulous means you've got that, or you have a diseased appearance resembling that, or "morally contaminated." Really, that's so fine a word, I'm amazed it's not in daily use!