History of frothy (foamy) urine
Doctors, and previous physicians, have been aware of (and written about) foamy urine for 1000s of years – i.e. it is not new, and has intrigued humans for a long, long time.
The Sushruta Samhita (SS), is a Sanskrit text attributed to the legendary ancient Indian surgeon Sushruta (6th century BC). Examples of some of his groundbreaking operations include rhinoplasty (the repairing or remaking of a nose), and lithotomy (surgical incision into hollow organs such as the urinary bladder to remove stones, or calculi).
‘Prameha’ is a term that first appears in the SS – and later historical Ayurvedic (traditional Indian medicine) texts – that denotes a multi-system disease. This affected the neurological, cardiac, dermatological, and gastrointestinal systems; and was partly recognised by urinary abnormalities such as haematuria and glycosuria (blood and glucose in the urine) and frothy urine.
Sushruta Samhita
Last Reviewed on 22 March 2024