PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 



Erythrocytes. These form elements are present in the urinary 

 sediment in various diseases. They may appear as the normal bi- 

 concave, yellow erythrocyte (Plate IV, opposite page 184) or may 

 exhibit certain modifications in form such as the crenated type 

 (Fig. 115, p. 359) which is often seen in concentrated urine. Un- 

 der different conditions they may become swollen sufficiently to 

 entirely erase the biconcave 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 sedi- 

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

 traumatic hemorrhage, hemorrhage from congestion and in hemor- 

 rhagic diathesis. 



Spermatozoa. Spermatozoa may be detected in the urinary 

 sediment in diseases of the genital organs, as well as after coitus, 

 nocturnal emissions, epileptic and other convulsive attacks and some- 



FIG. 1 1 6. 



, HUMAN SPERMATOZOA. 



times in severe febrile disorders, especially in typhoid fever. In 

 form they consist of an oval body, to which is attached a long, 

 delicate tail (Fig. 116, above). Upon examination they may show 

 motility or may be motionless. 



Urethral Filaments. These are peculiar thread-like bodies 

 which are sometimes found in urinary sediment. They may oc- 

 casionally be detected in normal urine and pathologically are found 

 in the sediment in acute and chronic gonorrhoea and in urethror- 

 rhcea. The ground-substance of these urethral filaments is in part, 



