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PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 



Myers and Fine 1 have reported data showing a comparison of the 

 kidney and intestine as excretory routes for various inorganic constit- 

 uents. Their finding in this connection are summarized in the follow- 

 ing table: 



It is not believed that the findings differed especially from the 

 normal, except in that group of cases which suffered from intestinal 

 diarrhea. The average findings in five cases with well formed stools, 

 74 to 79 per cent, moisture, and those with diarrheal stools, 79 to 89 

 per cent, moisture have been grouped separately in the table. 



Very little is known positively regarding the actual course of the 

 excretion of the calcium under pathological conditions. An excess 

 is found in some diseases of the bones, e.g., osteomalacia. In others 

 as in rickets the urinary excretion may be very low. 



The daily excretion of magnesium by way of the urine usually 

 amounts to between o.i and 0.3 gram, expressed as MgO. The amount 

 depends mainly on the diet. About 50 per cent or more of the excreted 

 magnesium is usually eliminated by the kidneys, the remainder passes 

 out in the feces. There may be a retention of magnesium in certain 

 bone disorders accompanying a loss of calcium; in osteomalacia for 

 example. Thus the excretion of calcium and magnesium do not neces- 

 sarily run parallel. 



Carbonates 



Carbonates generally occur in small amount in the urine of man 

 and carnivora under normal conditions, whereas much larger quanti- 

 ties are ordinarily present in the urine of herbivora. The alkaline 

 reaction of the urine of herbivora is dependable in great measure upon 

 the presence- of carbonates. In general a urine containing carbonates 

 in appreciable amount is turbid when passed or becomes so shortly 

 after. These bodies ordinarily occur as alkali or alkaline earth com- 

 pounds and the turbid character of urine containing them is usually 



1 Myers and Fine: Proc Soc. Exp. Biol. and Med., 16, 73, 1919. 



