URINE. 167 



They occur, according to Lecanu, in the following proportions: 



Mean. Maximum. Minimum. 



In Men . . .260 378 153 grains 



Women . . 222 302 166 



Children of about 8 years . 135 168 152 



Old men . . 124 151 94 



Lecanu found the earthy phosphates in the urine of twenty- 

 four hours vary in different persons from 30'3 grains to rather 

 less than half a grain. 



The amount of earthy phosphates, excreted in twenty-four 

 hours by the same person, is not always uniform ; it appears 

 to have no direct connexion with either age or sex. 



In accordance with Guibourt and Rayer, Lecanu found 

 these salts in smaller quantity in the urine of old men than 

 in that of children. From the analyses made by Lecanu, 

 Lehmann, and myself, it appears that the variations in the 

 amount of the earthy phosphates, both absolutely and relatively, 

 are less than those of the other constituents of the urine. 



A considerable difference was observed by Lecanu in the 

 amount of chloride of sodium excreted by different persons. 

 In his analyses the quantity excreted in twenty-four hours fluc- 

 tuated between 116 grains and a quarter of a grain. Moreover, 

 the quantity excreted by the same person in twenty-four hours 

 is by no means constant. In four observations, each made on 

 the urine of twenty-four hours, of a man aged 20, the maximum 

 was 116, and the minimum 67 grains : in six similar obser- 

 vations on the urine of a man aged 35 years, the maximum 

 was 82, and the minimum 29 grains. Lecanu found the quan- 

 tity of chloride of sodium very small in the urine of women and 

 old men. 



It is clear that the excretion of a salt taken with most of 

 our articles of food, must be entirely dependent on the quantity 

 consumed, and must therefore vary very considerably. The 

 urine, generally speaking, is deficient in salts during disease : 

 our analyses show that the deficiency occurs at the expense of 

 the chloride of sodium ; the sulphates and phosphates taking 

 only a small part in it. I have analysed urine in typhus which 

 contained a mere trace of chloride of sodium. 



Lecanu observed differences similar to those we have just 



