National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Founded in 1950, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases funds and coordinates research involving metabolic disorders such as diabetes, digestive diseases, and kidney dysfunction.
It also leads federal research on nutrition and supports more than 20 centers around the United States dedicated to nutrition, digestive diseases, and obesity.


Known Physician.
Bright, Richard (1789–1858)
British physician, who described many conditions and linked edema (accumulation of fluid in the body) to kidney disease. Bright's disease, an acute inflammation of the kidneys (Nephritis), is named for him.

Bright was born in Bristol, England, and studied medicine at Edinburgh University in Scotland. He was on the staff of Guy's Hospital in London, England, from 1820.
Bright initiated the use of biochemical studies by working with chemists to demonstrate that urea is retained in the body during kidney failure.
He also correlated symptoms in patients with the pathological changes he later found in postmortem examinations of the same people.
In this way he found that the presence of the protein albumin in the urine and edema are associated with pathological changes in the kidneys.