Diuretic therapy is treatment with a diuretic, any substance that increases the production of urine by promoting the excretion of water from the body through the kidneys, sometimes referred to informally as a water tablet. Diuretics fall into several distinct classes, each working through a different mechanism within the kidney, but every class shares the same basic effect of increasing water loss through urination. The opposite effect, reducing water excretion, is produced by an antidiuretic, such as the hormone vasopressin, which sits at the other end of the same physiological system diuretics act on.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearSourced to the subject's own accountSource dates proposed mercurial-compound diuretic use to at least the 16th century, shortly after the 1497 syphilis epidemic in Europe; this is the earliest datable pharmacological diuretic use, not a confirmed first use. Connections
Sources
1. Mercurial Diuretic (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia, Mercurial diuretic article, History and mechanism sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Mercurial diuretic article, History and mechanism section
Proposed use of these compounds date back at least to the 16th century, shortly after the beginning of the syphilis epidemic in 1497 following Columbus' return to Europe.
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