222 THE SECRETIONS : 



wards, the urine at the period of resolution exhibited precisely 

 the same characters as in the above case, and as in the case of 

 pneumonia noticed in page 217. There was a beautiful crys- 

 talline sediment of ammoniaco-magnesian phosphate, and any 

 acid threw down a copious precipitate. 



Cases such as these suggest two important questions, one of 

 which may be readily answered by a series of careful observa- 

 tions : viz. whether these peculiar phenomena in the urine are 

 connected with the process of resolution after inflammation of 

 the respiratory organs ? and if so, what is the nature of the 

 connexion ? 



The solution of the former question would afford material 

 service in the prognosis of these affections. The phenomena 

 persisted for three or four days, and in both cases recovery took 

 place. 



There was a man in Schonlein's wards with very extensive 

 and intense peripneumonia, whose urine presented all the ap- 

 pearances of a saccharine fluid in which fermentation had been 

 induced by yeast. It had a yellowish, turbid appearance, and 

 its surface was covered by a thick layer of foam, in which nu- 

 merous air-bubbles were developing themselves. Gas was like- 

 wise developed in the fluid itself, and in the amorphous yellow 

 sediment that had been spontaneously deposited. The frothy 

 covering and the sediment were composed of an amorphous 

 matter, numerous crystals of ammoniaco-magnesian phosphate, 

 and mucus-corpuscles. On treating the sediment with a free 

 acid, the crystals and a portion of the amorphous matter (con- 

 sisting of phosphate of lime) were dissolved : the remainder was 

 insoluble, and resembled coagulated albumen in its behaviour 

 towards reagents. The urine contained no trace of sugar, but 

 a considerable amount of carbonate of ammonia. 



On evaporating some of the filtered urine to which hydro- 

 chloric acid had been added, there remained a large quantity of 

 hydrochlorate of ammonia. Very little urea was present, the 

 greater part having been converted into carbonate of ammonia 

 through the influence of the protein-compound. Vesical mucus 

 exerts a similar action, and consequently in catarrh of the 

 bladder the urine rapidly gives off a very disagreeable odour, 

 and the amount of urea diminishes in proportion as the car- 

 bonate of ammonia increases. 



