The journey of life, from primordial protoplasm to a complex vertebrate form, is a tale of survival against incessant alterations in climate, surface topography, food chain, and chemistry of the external environment. Kidneys present with an ensemble embodiment of the adaptations devised by diverse life-forms to cope with such challenges and maintain a chemical equilibrium of water and solutes, both in and outside the body. This minireview revisits renal evolution utilizing the classic: From Fish to Philosopher; the story of our internal environment, by Prof. Homer W. Smith (1895–1962) as a template. Prof. Smith’s views exemplified the invention of glomeruli, or its abolishment, as a mechanism to filter water. Moreover, with the need to preserve water, as in reptiles, the loop of Henle was introduced to concentrate urine. When compared to smaller mammals, the larger ones, albeit having loops of Henle of similar lengths, demonstrated a distinct packing of the nephrons in kidneys. Moreover, the renal portal system degenerated in mammals, while still present in other vertebrates. This account will present with a critique of the current concepts of renal evolution while examining how various other factors, including the ones that we know more about now, such as genetic factors, synchronize to achieve renal development. Finally, it will try to assess the validity of ideas laid by Prof. Smith with the knowledge that we possess now, and understand the complex architecture that evolution has imprinted on the kidneys during its struggle to survive over epochs.

从原始原生质体到复杂的脊椎动物形态，生命之旅是一个在气候、地表地形、食物链和外部环境化学方面不断变化的生存故事。肾脏呈现出由不同生命形式设计的适应性的整体体现，以应对此类挑战并维持体内和体外水和溶质的化学平衡。这篇小评论利用经典回顾肾脏进化：从鱼到哲学家；我们内部环境的故事，由荷马 W. 史密斯教授 (1895–1962) 作为模板。史密斯教授的观点举例说明了肾小球的发明或废除，作为一种过滤水的机制。此外，由于需要保存水，就像在爬行动物中一样，亨勒环被引入以浓缩尿液。与较小的哺乳动物相比，较大的哺乳动物虽然具有相似长度的 Henle 环，但在肾脏中表现出明显的肾单位堆积。此外，哺乳动物的肾门系统退化，而其他脊椎动物仍然存在。这篇文章将对当前肾脏进化的概念提出批评，同时检查各种其他因素，包括我们现在更了解的因素，如遗传因素，如何同步实现肾脏发育。最后，它将尝试评估教授提出的想法的有效性。