Lipoid Nephrosis

As numerous as are the articles and discussions on lipoid nephrosis, so rare are the actual cases anatomically proved and reported. Few subjects in medicine have enjoyed as much speculation on as little material support or suffered as much the consequence of confusion. Of the small number of cases clinically considered, few are checked by autopsy for the excellent reason that usually the patients do not die. The great majority of those which are so checked, prove, contrary to the best supported clinical diagnoses, to be only glomerulonephritis with a nephrotic component (einschlag). Many others are so tangled up with amyloidosis that they are ordinarily ruled out of argument. The specific renal tubule damage in pregnancy and in various infections and intoxications account for still other pretenders. Aschoff finally denied altogether the existence of a genuine lipoid nephrosis. Wells 1 stated that he had looked all his life for a pure