Early Dialysis in Britain: Leeds and Beyond

In parallel with the experience in most countries, early clinical experiments with dialysis in Britain did not lead to general adoption of the treatment. After a decade, dialysis for acute kidney failure was re-established at Leeds General Infirmary under the direction of Dr Frank Parsons, who had been inspired by Dr John Merrill in Boston. The intervening period was not characterized by indifference to kidney failure, but was devoted to defining acute kidney failure and successfully applying “conservative” measures, such as dietary regimens based on the scientific understanding and teaching of the time. The circumstances influencing the start of dialysis therapy at Leeds in 1956 and subsequent events up to the early 1960s are discussed in relation to the national medical scene.