The Body's Keepers: A Social History of Kidney Failure and Its Treatments

A remarkable account of the kidney and the scientific, medical, and health evolution tied to our understanding of it.

The kidney is an extraordinary organ - in many ways the regulator, the metronome, the keeper of the human body's delicate equilibrium. On a given day, minute by minute, it purifies the body of toxins it encounters from diet, climate, activity, and injury. It allows us to be and to move in the world. And yet most of us know so very little about these extraordinary vessels nestled in our bodies - and indeed millions of us only really learn about them when they stop working. Nearly a million Americans every year have end stage kidney disease, about 37 million have some form of chronic kidney disease. And it is an incredibly common universe of challenge and ailment that, until relatively recently, would simply kill those afflicted with it.

Renowned nephrologist Dr. Paul Kimmel takes us on an eye-opening journey through the history of kidney disease, dialysis, and transplantation. Drawing on both his extensive research and decades of experience in the field, he explains the development of treatments, technologies, and medical practices that have advanced the care of patients with kidney disease. Kimmel illuminates the impact of medical advances on the lives of those suffering from this debilitating disease and offers a clear understanding of the challenges that remain.

The Body's Keepers also reveals the inequities and injustices at the heart of America's healthcare system. Filled with case studies, personal histories, and first-hand accounts, the book reveals the shocking truth about the exploitation of vulnerable populations in the pursuit of profit. Kimmel examines how disparities in access to care have led to life-threatening consequences for many Americans. He also looks at the ways in which the medical industry has profited from the suffering of others, and how the path to health equity is still far from being realized. With unflinching honesty and a passionate commitment to social justice, his book is an essential read for anyone looking to understand the complexities of modern healthcare.

Author: Paul L. Kimmel
Publisher: Mayo Clinic Press
Published: 02/13/2024
Pages: 448
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9798887700304

About the Author
Paul L. Kimmel, M.D., M.A.C.P., F.R.C.P., F.A.S.N. is Clinical Professor of Medicine Emeritus at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Born in Brooklyn, he was educated at Canarsie High School, Yale College, and New York University School of Medicine. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Physicians in London. In 2019 he received the Belding H. Scribner Memorial Award from the American Society of Nephrology, for "outstanding contributions that have a direct impact on the care of patients with renal disorders or have substantially changed the practice of nephrology." He has taught medical students, housestaff and faculty over the last forty years at informal and invited lectures, nationally and internationally, and has cared for patients for more than thirty years. Kimmel is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and an editor of monographs on HIV-associated kidney diseases, nutrition in patients with kidney disease, psychosocial aspects of kidney disease and a textbook entitled Chronic Renal Disease.