156 



the father's children will inherit a predisposition to the 

 pathological taint in his father's kidneys, and on exposure 

 to a similar cause will almost inevitably suffer from a 

 similar affection ? I trow not ; but, unfortunately, I have 

 no cases at my disposal to bear out my argument. At any 

 rate, it is easy enough to adduce cases of like heredity in 

 reference to other organs and tissues, and if so in these, 

 why should the kidneys be excepted ? I firmly believe that 

 as every vestige of the human body is subject to heredity 

 physiologically and psychologically, so it must be, and is, 

 with regard to its pathology : for disease is but impaired 

 function or degenerative change ; and if, in health, every 

 cell, membrane, muscle, bone, and viscus every element 

 of man in his dynamism is subject to the law of heredity, 

 by a parity of reasoning, I cannot see why, if certain 

 morbid conditions are universally recognised as hereditary, 

 a predisposition to every morbid condition may not be 

 traced to the same influence. 



The waxy or amyloid disease of the kidneys is said to be 

 caused by phthisis, syphilis, caries, profuse suppuration, 

 and other exhausting conditions, and is often associated 

 with waxy degeneration of other organs, especially the 

 liver, spleen, and intestinal canal : in fact, it might be 

 defined generally as a constitutional condition dependent 

 upon the scrofulous diathesis. As in the foregoing, and 

 for similar reasons, this condition is capable of being 

 transmitted hereditarily, at least, so far as a predisposition 

 to its development is concerned. The gouty or cirrhotic 

 form of Bright's disease depends for its causation upon 

 alcoholic intemperance, the poisons of gout and lead, and 

 others conditions which are unknown. In the course of its 

 development, hypertrophy of the heart, with sclerosis and 



