490 PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 



tions they may become swollen sufficiently to entirely erase the bicon- 

 cave appearance and may even occur in the form of colorless spheres 

 having a smaller diameter than the original disc-shaped corpuscles. 

 Erythrocytes are found in urinary sediment in hemorrhage of the 

 kidney or of the urinary tract, in traumatic hemorrhage, hemorrhage 

 from congestion, and in hemorrhagic diathesis. 



Spermatozoa. Spermatozoa may be detected in the urinary sedi- 

 ment in diseases of the genital organs, as well as after coitus, nocturnal 

 emissions, epileptic, and other convulsive, attacks, and sometimes in 

 severe febrile disorders, especially in typhoid fever. In form they con- 

 sist of an oval body, to which is attached- a long, delicate tail (Fig. 



FIG. 156. CRENATED ERYTHROCYTES. 



I 57> P a g e 49 1 )- Upon examination they may show motility or may be 

 motionless. 



Urethra! Filaments. These are peculiar thread-like bodies which 

 are sometimes found in urinary sediment. They may occasionally be 

 detected in normal urine and pathologically are found in the sediment in 

 acute and chronic gonorrhoea and in urethrorrhcea. The ground-sub- 

 stance of these urethral filaments is, in part at least, similar to that of the 

 cylindroids (see page 489) . The urine first voided in the morning is best 

 adapted for the examination for filaments. These filaments may ordi- 

 narily be removed by a pipette since they are generally macroscopic. 



Tissue Debris. Masses of cells or fragments of tissue are frequently 

 found in the urinary sediment. They may be found in the sediment in 

 tubercular affections of the kidney and urinary tract or in tumors of 

 these organs. Ordinarily it is necessary to make a histological ex- 



