lOlJ/.] AcTioiv' OF Various Diuretics 53 



tains clioloform and alcohol is far more toxic in a nephritis 

 than ether. This would be especially true in those nephri- 

 tides in which the parenchymatous element of the kidney is 

 principally involved. 



A study of the response of the nephritic kidney to diuretics, 

 shows that the efficiency of a given diuretic very largely de- 

 pends upon the age of the animal, and upon the anesthetic 

 which has been employed. Thus young and adult animals 

 nephritic from uranium, when anesthetized with morphine- 

 ether, remain diuretic to the substances which have been used 

 in the experiments. The same statement holds true for the 

 young animals which were anesthetized with Grehant's anes- 

 thetic. When, however, an adult animal nephritic from uran- 

 ium is anesthetized with Grehant's anesthetic the animal be- 

 comes anuric and remains refractory to the diuretic substances 

 which have induced a free diuresis in the other animals. A 

 similar condition of anuria with a failure to respond to the 

 diuretics has been observed in two old animals anesthetized with 

 morphine-ether. 



The renal pathology which is characteristic of this anuric 

 group consists in a rapid swelling and necrosis of the epi- 

 thelium, especially of the proximal convoluted tubules. 



A physiological study of this anuric group shows that the 

 anuria is not dependent upon a general condition of low blood 

 pressure. The degree of response of the renal vessels to sub- 

 stances acting locally in the kidney and through changes in 

 the general blood pressure is certainly sufficient to influence 

 diuresis in a normal kidney. When compared with the de- 

 gree of response on the part of the renal vessels in the diuretic 

 animals, it would appear that it was sufficient to induce diuresis 

 in these anuric animals. In the anuric group however, with the 

 pronounced swelling of the epithelium which is constantly 

 present, the quantity of blood reaching the glomeruli and the 

 rate of blood flow through the kidney must be to some extent 

 interfered with. This is likely a part of the explanation for 

 the anuria. 



With this cause for the anuria in mind, in these animals 



