URINE. 213 



of earthy phosphates and mucus, which sometimes assumes a 

 purulent appearance, and becomes tough and viscid in proportion 

 to the quantity of mucus which is present. The odour is then 

 strongly ammoniacal, and often stinking and putrescent; and 

 on the addition of hydrochloric acid to the urine, a well-marked 

 effervescence is produced by the liberation of carbonic acid. 

 Cases have however been observed in which the urine was am- 

 moniacal at the period of its emission from the bladder. A man 

 aged about 40 years was brought into our hospital with a severe 

 cerebral affection ; he soon sank into a state of deep coma, and 

 the urine was emitted involuntarily. On collecting the urine 

 in a bottle, it had an unpleasant ammoniacal odour, an alkaline 

 reaction, and soon deposited a sediment of mucus and earthy 

 phosphates. Upon the addition of nitric acid after filtration, 

 brisk effervescence took place, and the urine became turbid, in 

 consequence of the presence of a slight quantity of albumen. 



Becquerel observed much the same in, four cases of chronic 

 affection of the spinal cord, in which the functions of the bladder 

 were impaired. The urine was discharged involuntarily, was 

 of a dirty-yellow pale colour, of the ordinary specific gravity, 

 and soon became alkaline ; in those cases in which the urine 

 was clearer, the specific gravity was lighter. The urine always 

 contained a considerable quantity of mucus, muco-pus, or true 

 pus, some albumen, ammoniaco-magnesian phosphate, phosphate 

 of lime, and carbonate of lime. 



In a former part of this work, attention has been directed to 

 a peculiar arrangement which the elements of urea assume, 

 when an aqueous solution of that substance is allowed to stand 

 for a considerable period, or when it is treated with strong acids 

 or alkalies. 1 atom of urea takes up 2 atoms of water, and 

 becomes carbonate of ammonia, for 



1 Atom of Urea . H 4 N 2 C 2 2 

 + 2 Atoms of Water . H 2 O 2 



2 Atoms of Garb. Ammon. . H 6 N 2 + C 2 O 4 = 2 (NH 3 , C0 2 ) 



We have sufficient reason to justify the assumption that an 

 arrangement of the elements of urea which occurs in pure water 

 will also occur under certain circumstances in the kidneys or in 

 the bladder, if the nervous activity, which has a very marked 

 effect on the composition of the animal fluids, is changed, and 

 if the urine contains mucus or muco-pus, which facilitate the 



