Last update:
08-Sep-2020

Rufus of Ephesus and Aretaeus of Cappadocia (1st–2nd century CE) can be considered as the first Greek "giants" of Nephrology since they are the first exponents of Hippocratic medicine who recognised the specific function of the kidney and described renal diseases. In the modern era, several Greek doctors contributed to the establishment and advancement of Nephrology in Greece. This paper refers only to those who worked in Greece and are no longer alive. Hippocrates Yatzides (1923–2013), one of the founders of EDTA in 1964, is deemed a pioneer of haemodialysis as, in 1965, he used activated uncoated carbon haemoperfusion to treat barbiturate poisoning. Yatzidis's early attempts to establish a national Society of Nephrology, in 1966, were fruitless. Three years later, Sotiris Papastamatis (1912–1979), associate professor of Medicine at the University of Athens and his close friend Dimitrios Valtis (1917–1973), professor of Medicine in the University of Thessaloniki, collaborated in the foundation of the Hellenic Society of Nephrology (HSN). Other departed colleagues noteworthy for their contribution to the advancement of the study of renal diseases and the introduction of chronic haemodialysis in our country are Panos Metaxas (1929–2007) (Valtis's disciple, president of the 8th International Congress of Nephrology held in Athens in 1981), Antonis Billis (1932–2013) (Papastamatis's disciple, president of the 2nd National Congress of Nephrology), and Gregory Vosnides (1943-1996) (Billis's disciple, secretary of the 32nd EDTA-ERA Congress held in Athens in 1995, co-organiser with Spyros Marketos of the 1st International Congress of the History of Nephrology held in Κos in 1996). Further to breaking new ground in the development of Nephrology in our country, these colleagues have served and continue to serve as role models for younger Greek nephrologists.

Key words: Aretaeus, Billis, Hellenic Society of Nephrology, Metaxas, Oreopoulos, Papastamatis, Rufus, Valtis, Vosnides, Yatzidis.