[Effects of the nervous system on the kidney. Part I. Review of the literature].

The authors review the literature on the effects of the nervous system on the kidney in 3 stages: 1) Historical stage when the role of the renal nerve supply was overetimated by Claude Bernard. 2) Intermediate stage between the two wars with a clinical description of uremic encephalits or acute delirium. From the experimental point of view was demonstrated the inessential character of the nerve supply for the survival of the kidney. 3) Modern stage: from the clinical point of view one may distinguish functional nephropathies including those of nervous origin. The latter are due to metabolic or vascular mechanisms which are intricated to various degrees. Problems of regulation are raised in man by certain findings.