URINE. 311 



slightly acid, contained much albumen, and deposited a sediment, 

 which was shown by the microscope to consist of pus- and mucus- 

 corpuscles : its specific gravity was 1026. 

 It contained : 



Analysis 146. 



Water . . . . 935-50 



Solid constituents . . . 64-50 



Urea .... 18-20 



Uric acid .... 1-10 



Albumen and pus-corpuscles . . 18-60 



Alcohol extract with ammonia and lactic acid 12-35 



Water-extract . . . 4-60 



Fixed salts from the extractive matters . 6-20 



The amount of urea was much diminished, being only 27 

 of the solid residue, whereas the normal average is 39. 



On the other hand, I found a very appreciable quantity of 

 urea in the dropsical fluid, obtained by puncturing the abdo- 

 minal parietes. 



Nysten analysed the urine of a man aged 1 8 years, who had 

 been suffering from ascites for several months. There were 

 only 8 ounces of urine excreted in twenty-four hours ; it was 

 turbid and of a reddish colour, very frothy, and when allowed 

 to stand, deposited a white flocculent sediment. It had an 

 ammoniacal odour, a strong alkaline reaction, and contained 

 hardly a trace of urea ; but a considerable quantity of colouring 

 matter and albumen were found in it, and more salts than in 

 healthy urine of digestion. 



Graves also observed a considerable quantity of carbonate of 

 ammonia in the urine of a labourer who was suffering from 

 ascites, anasarca, and a tympanitic condition of the intestinal 

 canal, urea being almost entirely absent. 



In a case of ascites arising from peritonitis, which was only 

 fully recognized on dissection by the changed condition of the 

 peritoneal surface, a small quantity of urine was discharged, 

 which was of a dark colour, and on cooling threw down a con- 

 siderable lateritious sediment. 



[Heller 1 analysed the urine of a woman aged 40 years, suf- 

 fering from ascites. The secretion was tolerably copious, of 

 a light yellow colour, and turbid from containing a large quan- 



1 Archiv fur phys. andpathol. Chemie, vol. 1, p. 47. 



