n:ic OXIDE. 



URINE, PATHOLOGY OF, AND MORBID STATES OF. o 



by decomposing boiling solution of purpurate of ammonia by means 

 of excess of nitrate of potash. Thin purpurate oontUU of very small 

 reddish-brown crystals ; it may however M obtained in large crystals, 

 which hare the colour and liutre of the ammoniscal salt It u 

 difficultly soluble in water, and much lew so in saline solutions, and 

 hence the advantage of using excess of nitre in preparing it. It 

 appear* to be a neutral salt 



I'urpttratt of Soda is of a dark brick-red colour, and may be 

 obtained in crystal* ; it in much less soluble in water than the potaih 

 alt, requiring 3000 timee its weight for solution, or even more at 60*. 

 The pttrpurattt of time, baryta, and ttrontia are still lest loluble than 

 thoM above described ; they are of a deep greenish colour, but when 

 dissolved in water they impart a purple colour to it There are two 

 salts of lime ; one of which U a bulky red crystalline powder, and the 

 other, which is greenish-black, appears to be a subsalt The purpurate 

 o/maytutia is very soluble. 



When purpurate of ammonia is added to a solution of metallic salts, 

 the effects produced ore ss follows : Cobalt, a granular reddish 

 precipitate ; zinc, a fine yellow ; tin, a scarlet precipitate ; mercury, 

 protoaalta, a purple precipitate ; persalts, a pale rose precipitate ; silver, 

 a deep purple one; the salts of lead, iron, nickel, and copper, the chlorides 

 of gold and platina, alter their colour by the addition of purpurate of 

 .mny>.y. but are not precipitated by it. The pink sediment which 

 generally appears in the urine of those labouring under febrile affec- 

 tions, appears to owe its colour to the purpurate of ammonia. 



Allamtoin (C,H 1> N.O ( ) ; aUantoic or anniod'c acirf. A product of the 

 oxidation of uric acid by peroxide of lead in a boiling solution ; the hot 

 filtered solution deposits colourless brilliant crystals of allantoin. 

 Allantoin also occurs in the urine of the foetal calf, and in the allantoic 

 fluid of the cow. It is a neutral body, tasteless, inodorous, tolerably 

 soluble in boiling water, but only slightly so in cold water. Left in 

 contact with strong caustic potash for a few days it appears to assimi- 

 late two equivalents of water aiid become hydcmtoic acid (C,H S N,O S ). 

 Solution of allantoin, heated in a closed tube to 280 Fahr., gives white 

 deliquescent allanturic acid (HO,C 1<( H N.O,) insoluble in alcohol. 

 LaHtauric acid, a product of the action of ferrocyanide of potassium 

 upon uric acid, is probably identical with allanturic acid. 



A'ariMiV, or uric oxide (C^H^N^O,) or urout acid, forms the chief 

 constituent of a rare form of urinary calculus. It is also contained in 

 the intestinal concretions of animals or BEZOARS. It is soluble in 

 alkalies, but is reprecipitated as a white powder by acids, and is 

 insoluble in water, alcohol, or ether. 



H r POX ANTHIX, U r ASISK, and CYSTIJJ are treated of in separate articles. 



URIC OXIDE. [URIC GROUP.] 



URIC SERIES. [URIC GROUP.] 



URIL. [URIC GROUP.] 



URINARY CALCULI. [CALCULI.] 



UHINE, PATHOLOGY OF, AND MORBID STATES OF. The 

 normal constituents of urine are treated of in the article URINE, in the 

 NATURAL HISTORY DIVISION of this Cyclopedia. We shall here speak 

 of the urine in states of disease, and more particularly of its abnormal 

 constituents. These latter may be divided, first, into those substances 

 which are dissolved in the urine ; and, second, those substances which 

 are thrown down as sediments. 



1. Substances which are dissolved in the urine, or precipitated only 

 under special conditions. 



Hauiatin, or blood-pigment, appears in the urine in two states, 

 either in the blood-cells or independent of them. When the latter 

 occurs, the blood is of a more or less brown or black colour. Such a 

 condition does not indicate the rupture of blood-vessels, but a state of 

 the blood produced by such diseases as typhus fever, yellow fever, 

 scarlatina maligna, scurvy, pytcmia, and other diseases in which the 

 blood-cells are, as it were, broken up. 



AUmanH is frequently present in the blood, but is not characterised 

 by any particular physical appearance : it often is of a natural colour, 

 sometimes a little paler, at other times it is obviously tinged with 

 blood. For the most part albuminous urine is transparent at the 

 instant it is voided, but on cooling it becomes turbid : its odour is 

 ordinarily less urinous than the urine of health. The tests for detect- 

 ing albumen are various. Nitric acid is one of the best ; for if a few 

 drops be added to the urine containing albumen, a precipitate is 

 formed, which we cannot re-dissolve by an excess of the acid, but 

 which is readily dissolved by the addition of a sufficient quantity of 

 alkali. Heat, from its property of quickly coagulating albumen, is an 

 excellent test for renngnising this principle, as it has the advantage of 

 not coagulating the other elements of urine. Albuminous urine, on 

 being exposed to a temperature of about ISO*, becomes opaque, and 

 deposits the principle in a coagulated state. The precipitate varies 

 considerably in appearance in different instances, being sometimes firm 

 and similar to that formed by the serum of the blood, from which it 

 may then be supposed to be derived ; while at other times it is deli- 

 cate, fragile, and somewhat resembling curd, when it may be supposed 

 to be of chylous origin. 



Albumen is generally indicative of disease of the kidneys. [KiDNKTS, 

 DISEASES or.] This form of dlsessii may come on in many rliinssin, 

 sock as intermittent fever, typhoid fever, measles, small pox, inflam- 

 mation of the lungs, phthisis, rheumatism, chlorosis, and disease of the 

 heart. It has also been observed in temporary derangement of the 



digestive organs, and oven in health after eating albuminous food, such 

 as eggs. Dr. Parks* found, on examining indiscriminately all eases 

 admitted under his care, that about 25 per cent had albumen in the 

 urine, and that of these 12 per cent were temporary, and IS per cent, 

 were permanent 



In some cases the albumen in the urine is of a modified character, 

 so that although not precipitated by boat or nitric acid alone, nitric 

 aciil will cause a precipitate when it is heated. 



XaxOiic(Unc) Oxide was first described by Dr. Marcel, and subse- 

 quently by Professor Stromeyer. It is said by Liebig to differ fnnii 

 uric acid by containing one proportion less of oxygen. The characters 

 of urine containing this substance are not known, as the urine of the 

 persons from whom the xanthio oxide calculi hitherto met with were 

 taken was not analysed. 



Cyttie Oxide does not exist in healthy urine, but is occasionally 

 found in certain states of disease. It contains a considerable propor- 

 tion of sulphur, no less than two atoms being present in each equiva- 

 lent of the oxide. This substance, when present in the urine, is 

 always in a white crystallised state, never being found amorphous. 

 When urine which contains a deposit of this kind is mixed with 

 hydrochloric acid it is not rendered clear ; on the application of heat, 

 however, the cystine slowly dissolves. 



Dr. Bird says that when a deposit suspected to contain cystine is 

 examined, it should be washed with boiling water to remove the urates 

 and any crystals of common salt* which might be present, and then 

 placed in a drop of water on a slip of glass under the microscope. 

 Crystals of cystic oxide will then be readily distinguished, by their 

 presenting one or other of two forms under which it occurs. In the 

 first of these it appears under the form of tolerably regular six 

 tables, sometimes transparent throughout, but more generally opaque 

 in the centre. In the second it occurs as roundish tables, opaque in 

 the centre, and often quite so, somewhat crenate at the edges. 



Cystic Oxide CryttaU. 



Cystic oxide may be distinguished by its solubility in alkaline* and 

 most acids, and by the characteristic odour it yields when burnt. It 

 is however very little soluble in acetic acid ; hence when cystic oxide 

 exists in the urine, it may be readily precipitated from that fluid by 

 vinegar. 



Leurin has also been found in the urine. This substance exists 

 normally in the spleen, liver, pancreas, and thymus gland. It has 

 been found present in the urine in disease of the liver. 



Tyrotin, Hypoxantkin, and tannin have been also found in the 

 urine. 



Swjar does not exist in healthy urine, but in certain states of disease 

 it U found in large quantities. Sugar of diabetic urine differs in 

 appearance from common sugar, and approaches in its properties to 

 the sugar of grapes, with which it is identical in composition. Urine 

 containing sugar is generally pale-coloured, of specific gravity above 

 1'OSO, and its natural ingredients are often relatively much diminished 

 in quantity. This substance is present in the disease called diabetes. 

 [DIABETES.] 



Sugar is found temporarily present in the urine, and* is supposed to 

 be produced by a casual absence of oxidation. Thus it has been 

 observed in the urine after temporary injuries of the head. It has 

 also been said to occur in all cases in which respiration is impeded, 

 emphysema, hooping-cough, epilepsy, hysterics, Ac. 



C'uluuring matter* of various kinds have been found in the blood. 

 Prout first observed indigo in the urine. Hossall examined this sub- 

 ject, and found indigo present in several kinds of urine. Heller has 

 also discovered a blue colouring matter in urine, which he calls mox- 

 nnthin. This substance is closely related to indigo, and probably both 

 are produced by the same series of changes. A green pigment and a 

 pink pigment, called euroerythrin, have also been found in urine in 

 various forms of disease. Bile pigments are not unfrequently present 

 in the urine of even healthy persons, and are constantly present in 

 those affected with jaundice. 



Various acids besides the normal acids have been found in urine. 

 Such are the bile acids, taurocholic and glycocholic, acetic, lactic, 

 butyric, and nitric acids. Sulphuretted hydrogen is also occasionally 

 detected in the urine when first passed. 



Of the abnormal sediments in the urine, the most frequent and 

 interesting is the salt of lime with : 



