URINE. 327 



28th Feb. The day after the carbonate of soda had been 

 given, the urine was neutral, of a pale yellow colour, and had 

 a specific gravity of 1006. Fragments of urostealith were de- 

 tected in the sediment, mixed with ammoniaco-magnesian 

 phosphate. No uric acid was present. 



By the 2d of March the calculus of urostealith was almost 

 entirely dissolved. The reaction of the urine was neutral ; the 

 addition of ammonia produced a reddish brown tint ; (this is 

 regarded by Heller as a test for urostealith ;) uric acid was still 

 absent. The specific gravity was 1020. The urine contained 

 in 1000 parts : 



Water .... 



Solid constituents 



Urea .... 



Fat and urostealith . 



Extractive matters and hydrochlorate of ammonia 



Fixed salts . 



959-90 



40-10 



11-20 



3-40 



8-29 



17-21 



No sediment was deposited. In order to obtain the uro- 

 stealith, a large quantity of urine was evaporated, and sulphuric 

 acid added in order to decompose the soap. The urostealith was 

 taken up by boiling ether, which, on evaporation, yielded a 

 violet tint. For further information on the chemical charac- 

 ters of this substance I must refer to Chapter xn.] 



Semen in urine. 



It may sometimes be of importance to ascertain whether the 

 urine contains any seminal fluid. This point can be best set- 

 tled by the microscope. We find mucous floccules in the urine ; 

 and if semen is present, the spermatozoa will be detected 

 amongst them. They are represented in fig. 33. 



Urine of peculiar colours. 



Some cases have been recorded in which the colour of the 

 urine has deviated extremely from the normal type. A case 

 is related by Janus Plaucus, in which a dark blue sediment 

 was precipitated from the urine of a man 60 years of age, a 

 short time before his death. He had formerly suffered from 



