552 APPENDIX. 



and in certain" diseases associated with a considerable wasting 

 of certain organs, the quantity of the matters excreted with the 

 urine will be considerably augmented, without reference to the 

 excretion of water. But further investigations are still required 

 to elucidate scientifically the relations of dependence of the quantity 

 of those substances on their original conditions, and more especially 

 on the simultaneous physical and chemical constitution of the 

 blood. The cases are far more frequent in which there is a 

 diminution in the excretion of solid matters through the urine, as 

 for instance in those diseases in which the metamorphosis of matter 

 is either partially or generally altered. It is, therefore, in the latter 

 cases especially that more frequent opportunities have presented 

 themselves of gaining a more intimate knowledge of these condi- 

 tions, and their direct and indirect effects. Thus, for instance, 

 it has been generally found that in Bright's disease, the normal 

 constituents decrease to an extraordinary degree, which may be 

 readily explained by the loss of unchanged nutrient matters 

 (albumen in this disease.) As soon, however, as a more active 

 metamorphosis of matter is induced by the occurrence of febrile 

 excitement or an inflammatory process, the constituents of the 

 urine are again excreted in the normal, or in an increased quantity 

 while there is at the same time a diminution of the albumen 

 (Scherer.*) As we observe in Bright's disease, so also we learn from 

 direct experiments, that after the artificial augmentation of the salts 

 of the blood, the normal constituents of the urine are considerably 

 diminished. 



We may here add a few remarks on the recent investigations 

 which have been made regarding the quantity of urea that is 

 secreted under different conditions. According to Scherer's obser- 

 vations, a child excretes 0*810 of a gramme in 24 hours for every 

 kilogramme of its weight, and an adult only 0*420 of a gramme ; 

 while, according to Schmidt, a cat when eating daily ] 08*755 

 grammes of fat meat, excretes 7*663 grammes of urea for every 

 kilogramme of its weight; when taking 44'118 grammes of meat 

 2*958 grammes of urea; when taking 75*938 grammes of meat 

 5*152grammes of urea; and when taking 46*154 grammes of meat 

 3*050 grammes of urea. Hence a cat living on a flesh-diet forms 

 and separates by the kidneys on an average 6*8 parts of urea for 

 every 100 parts of flesh which it consumes. If all the nitrogen of 

 the food were separated as urea, rather more urea would of necessity 

 be excreted than corresponds to the above mean numbers. For 



* Pathologiscfae Untcrsuchungen. 



