54 Journal of the Mitchell Society [June 



which had remained anuric to diuretics, such as caffeine and 

 0.9 per cent sodium chloride, hypertonic salt solutions were 

 employed with the object in view of inducing a shrinkage of 

 the swollen cells and by removing any obstruction to the renal 

 circulation and at the same time by removing any mechanical 

 obstruction to the flow of the urine through the partly or com- 

 pletely occluded tubules to induce a diuresis. 



When such hypertonic solutions were used, it was found pos- 

 sible to induce a shrinkage of the epithelium (fig. 6). With 

 such a change in the size of the epithelial cells which would 

 tend to decrease the volume of the kidney, the oncometer 

 showed an increase in kidney volume. This rise in kidney 

 pressure is likely due to the dilator effect of the hypertonic 

 solutions on the renal vessels. With this change in the ves- 

 sels, increasing the quantity of blood reaching the kidney and 

 with the epithelium shrunken the circulation through the 

 kidney should be distinctly improved. Even through such a 

 change in the renal circulation had apparently been induced, 

 the animals remained anuric. Whether or not we have in 

 this anuric type of nephritis, as suggested by Pearce (7), a 

 condition of the vessels which allows dilatation, but in which 

 the vessels are so influenced by the anesthetic as to cause de- 

 creased glomerular permeability, it is difficult to say. 



In three animals of this anuric group the use of salt solu- 

 tion caused a well marked inter-tubular exudate to be pro- 

 duced. This observation would tend to decrease the proba- 

 bility of Pearce's explanation for the anuria, for it shows 

 that some of the vessels are permeable to salt solution. 



The salt solutions were also employed as diuretics for the 

 purpose of renderering the blood more hydrsemic and at the 

 same time of decreasing its viscidity. These changes in the 

 blood had no eft'ect in re-establishing a urine flow. 



In conclusion, it would appear that in a uranium nephritis 

 when following an anesthetic the epithelium becomes severely 

 damaged, the animal develops an anuria uninfluenced by diu- 

 retics which increase the efficiency of the vascular mechanism 



