In 1950, Robert W. Berliner of the NIH conducted work on renal physiology that led to a new theory concerning the mechanism of urinary excretion and concentration. Brliner, known as “The Dean of Renal Physiology,” and his colleagues were instrumental in describing the features of potassium excretion by the kidney. Berliner also was a primary force in making the NIH one of the leading biomedical scientific institutions in the world.