URINE. 321 



EXPERIMENTS. 



1. Detection of Nucleoprotein. Place 10 c.c. of urine in a 

 small beaker, dilute it with three volumes of water, to prevent pre- 

 cipitation of urates, and make the reaction very strongly acid with 

 acetic acid. If the urine becomes turbid it is an indication that 

 nucleoprotein is present. 



If the urine under examination contains albumin the greater por- 

 tion of this substance should be removed by boiling the urine before 

 testing it for the presence of nucleoprotein. 



2. Ott's Precipitation Test. Mix 25 c.c. of the urine with an 

 equal volume of a saturated solution of sodium chloride and slowly 

 add Almen's reagent. 1 In the presence of nucleoprotein a volumin- 

 ous precipitate forms. 



BLOOD. 



The pathological conditions in which blood occurs in the urine 

 may be classified under the two divisions h&maturia and hcemo- 

 globinuria. In haematuria we are able to detect not only the haemo- 

 globin but the unruptured corpuscles as well, whereas in haemo- 

 globinuria the pigment alone is present. Haematuria is brought 

 about through blood passing into the urine because of some lesion of 

 the kidney or of the urinary tract below the kidney. Haemoglobi- 

 nuria is brought about through haemolysis, i. e., the rupturing of 

 the stroma of the erythrocyte and the liberation of the haemoglobin. 

 This may occur in scurvy, typhus, pyemia, purpura and in other 

 diseases. It may also occur as the result of a burn covering a con- 

 siderable area of the body, or may be brought about through the 

 action of certain poisons or by the injection of various substances 

 having the power of dissolving the erythrocytes. Transfusion of 

 blood may also cause haemoglobinuria. 



EXPERIMENTS. 



i. Heller's Test. Render 10 c.c. of urine strongly alkaline with 

 potassium hydroxide solution and heat to boiling. Upon allowing 

 the heated urine to stand a precipitate of phosphates, colored red by 

 the contained haematin, is formed. It is ordinarily well to make a 

 " control " experiment using normal urine, before coming to a final 

 decision. 



Certain substances such as cascara sagrada, rhubarb, santonin, 



1 Dissolve 5 grams of tannin in 240 c.c. of 50 per cent alcohol and add 10 c.c. 

 of 25 per cent acetic acid. 

 22 



