URINE 



483 



Pus Cells. Pus corpuscles or leucocytes are present in extremely 

 small numbers in normal urine. Any considerable increase in the 

 number, however, ordinarily denotes a pathological condition, gener- 

 ally an acute or chronic inflammatory condition of some portion of the 

 urinary tract. The sudden appearance of a large amount of pus in a 

 sediment denotes the opening of an abscess into the urinary tract* 

 Other form elements, such as epithelial cells, casts, etc., ordinarily 

 accompany pus corpuscles in urinary sediment and a careful examination 

 of these associated elements is necessary in order to form a correct diag- 

 nosis as to the origin of the pus. Protein is always present in urine 

 which contains pus. 



* * r- 



?-& ^cssw J m 



FIG. 146. EPITHELIUM FROM DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE URINARY TRACT. 

 a, Leucocyte (for comparison); b, renal cells; c, superficial pelvic cells; d, deep pelvic 

 cells; e, cells from calices;/, cells from ureter; g, g, g, g, g, squamous epithelium from the 

 bladder; h, h, neck-of-bladder cells; i, epithelium from prostatic urethra; k, urethral cells; 

 I, I, scaly epithelium; m, m', cells from seminal passages; , compound granule cells; o 

 fatty renal cell. (Ogden.) 



The appearance which pus corpuscles exhibit under the microscope 

 depends greatly upon the reaction of the urine containing them. In 

 acid urine they generally present the appearance of round, colorless cells 

 composed of refractive, granular protoplasm, and may frequently exhibit 

 ameboid movements, especially if the slide containing them be warmed 

 slightly. They are nucleated (one or more nuclei), the nuclei being 

 clearly visible only upon treating the cells with water, acetic acid, or 

 some other suitable reagent. In urine which has a decided alkaline 

 reaction, on the other hand, the pus corpuscles are often greatly de- 

 generated. They may be seen as swollen, transparent cells, which 

 exhibit no granular structure and as the process of degeneration con- 



