2004 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



Blood casts are diagnostic of renal haemorrhage. They are similar to hyaline 

 casts with blood corpuscles adherent to, and embedded in, the cast. 



Fatty casts are indicative of •' Large White Kidney." The refractive oil 

 globules composing the casts render them easy to recognize. 



Waxy casts are smooth in character and are found in many diseases of the 

 kidneys, and are not characteristic of amyloid kidney as was formerly thought. 



Epithelial casts are studded with epithelial cells, and when found in abund- 

 ance in albuminous urine are diagnostic of Bright's disease, and in all cases 

 indicate an inflammatory condition of the parenchyma of the kidney. 



In general, when casts are small and few and principally hyaline, they signify 

 a mild nephritis. The gravity of the disease increases as the casts increase in 

 diameter and number. 



Spermatozoa will be found in the urine of healthy adults after coitus, after 

 epileptic seizures and occasionally in typhoid fever. Their constant presence in 

 considerable numbers constitutes the disease, spermatorhea, and is the result of 

 sexual excesses or masturbation. 



Spermatozoa will be found in the sediment, as centrifuged, appearing as min- 

 ute thread-like bodies with a head, body and tail. A high power (one-sixth 

 inch objective) will be required to show them distinctly. 

 Harvey Medical College. WiLLIAM H. Knap. 



METHODS IN PLANT PHYSIOLOGY. 



IV. 



NUTRITION. 

 1. To Determine the Elements Necessary for the Nutrition of Plants. The de- 

 pendence of plants upon certain elements for nutrition may best be demonstrated 

 by supplying plants with culture solutions of known chemical composition. The 

 more important facts may be brought out by planting seeds in clean sand and water- 

 ing the jars with the culture solutions, but the best results are obtained by the 

 use of water cultures. The method of preparing the cultures, which is essentially 

 that given by Sachs ^, is as follows: Wash thoroughly a number of pint fruit 

 jars, using dilute hydrochloric acid and rinsing well with distilled water, finally 

 fill each jar to within 2 cm. of the top with distilled water. Weigh out the salts 

 for each jar according to the following formula, which contains all the elements 

 necessary for growth, make up a series of solutions, each one of which shall 

 lack one of the necessary elements, e. g., if potassium is to be omitted substitute 

 calcium nitrate for potassium nitrate, etc. Make one or two full solutions for 

 the sake of comparison, omitting no chemicals : 



Potassium nitrate, .5 gram. 



Sodium chlorid, ----- .'25 " 

 Calcium sulphate, ----- .25 " 

 Magnesium sulphate, - - - - .25 " 

 Calcium phosphate, - - . - .25 " 



Iron chlorid, aqueous solution, - - 3-4 drops. 



^ Lectures on the Physiology of Plants, p. 2S3. 



