KIDNEY WEIGHT, BODY SIZE AND RENAL FUNCTION

Abstract

In 1916, Addis1 introduced the determination of the ratio under certain standard conditions as a measure ofthe amount of functioning renal tissue. The adequacy of this ratio as measured under the standard conditions for this purpose was demonstrated in a number of ways. It is a reasonable measure of renal function;² the variation in "experimental nephritis" was found³ to agree well with the structural changes in the kidneys, and the compensatory renal hypertrophy as measured by the ratio coincided with the anatomic measurements.⁴ Lastly, it was shown⁵ that in rabbits there existed a linear relationship between the magnitude of the ratio and the weight of the kidneys, an observation since confirmed for the rat⁶ and the dog.⁷ Taylor, Drury and Addis⁵ found that in rabbits the kidney weight varied directly in proportion to the body surface and bore a more constant relation to this figure than to any