History of Urology

Diseases of the uro-genital tract are as old as the human species itself. Archaeological findings, as well as the very first writings, indicate that our ancestors were plagued by the same kind of discomforts routinely encountered in modern urological practice. For example, in a 5,000-year-old mummy of a child, a huge bladder stone was found.

Circumcision and removal of the penile foreskin was probably the first operation ever performed on a routine basis. The importance of urinary stone disease and the dangers of treating bladder stones were already fully recognised by Hippocrates, who recognised the importance of the analysis and judgment of human excreta. This started a tradition of many ages of urine-analysis by inspection (uroscopy) and tasting.
In the seventeenth century, Frérè Jacques gained great fame as a `stone-cutter` or `lithotomist`. He travelled through Europe, practising a bladder-stone removal technique that became the golden standard for a long time.

Modern urology started off with the development of sophisticated instruments that offered the ability to illuminate the inside of the body. The arrival in the mid-nineteenth century of anaesthesia and surgical techniques, based on thorough knowledge of human anatomy, enabled the treatment of all urological diseases, whether they affected the kidney, the bladder or the genitalia.
Urology as a distinct specialty dates from 1890, when it became a separate course of study from General Surgery and Felix Guyon became the first Professor of Urology in Paris (France).
At present, urology has developed into a field of medicine in which science, technical developments, diagnostic procedures and invasive as well as non-invasive therapeutic measures have reached the highest level.

The EAU History Office aims to promote interest in the history of urology through various activities and publications, including de Historiae Urologiae Europaeae.