This document discusses the history of hemodialysis. It describes how Thomas Graham first presented principles of solute transport across membranes in 1854. Willem Kolff constructed the first working dialyzer in 1943 and successfully treated a patient in renal failure in 1945, though it was initially only intended for acute cases. By the 1960s, dialysis was being used to treat chronic renal failure but demand exceeded capacity, requiring decisions on patient selection.