274 THE SECRETIONS: 



inquires whether this secretion is always composed of actual 

 mucus, or whether pus in a modified form is not always present. 



In the urine of a man who was being treated for catarrhus 

 vesicse in our hospital, I found a very bulky sediment composed 

 of mucus and earthy phosphates : the quantity of ammoniaco- 

 magnesian phosphate was also very considerable. 



The urine upon becoming clear above the sediment, was of 

 a faint yellow colour, and contained much carbonate of ammonia; 

 it constantly had an alkaline reaction. The sediment for a pe- 

 riod of eight days assumed a faint grayish-blue colour ; when 

 washed (for the purpose of separating the urine from it as com- 

 pletely as possible,) and dried, it was treated with anhydrous 

 alcohol, which took up the blue colouring matter, and on evapo- 

 ration left it as a beautiful blue substance insoluble in water, 

 but dissolving in ether with a reddish tint ; I can only compare 

 it to Braconnot's cyanourin. 



Rheumatism. 



We have already seen that the blood in rheumatism perfectly 

 corresponds with the blood in the true inflammations; hence we 

 are led to infer that the urine will also present the inflammatory 

 type an inference confirmed by experiment. 



The urine in acute rheumatism, (when the reaction is accom- 

 panied by synochal fever,) exhibits in a high degree those cha- 

 racters of inflammatory urine which I have already so often 

 described. The colour is sometimes deep purple-red, like claret, 

 its acid reaction is very strongly developed, and very bulky, 

 fawn-coloured or lateritious sediments consisting for the most 

 part of urate of ammonia, but occasionally of crystallized uric 

 acid, are deposited. The extent to which these properties of 

 the urine are exhibited depends upon the violence, and the more 

 or less synochal character of the fever. 



Vauquelin and Henry found free phosphoric acid, and the 

 latter also free acetic acid, in the urine. 



In chronic rheumatism without fever, the characters of inflam- 

 matory urine may be altogether absent, and instead of the 

 earthy sediments we shall have merely a cloudiness and tur- 

 bidity, as I have observed in my own case. The urine which I 

 have passed during the night has frequently remained perfectly 



