URINE. 337 



Sulphur has been found (after administration) in the urine 

 by Wohler and Orfila ; and after the use of liver of sulphur, 

 free sulphur, and an excess of sulphate of potash were found 

 in the urine. In four experiments made by Laveran and 

 Millon, sulphur neither appeared in the urine, nor was the 

 quantity of sulphates increased. 



Metallic substances. Arsenic and antimony may be readily 

 detected in the urine, and have been observed by many che- 

 mists. The detection of mercury is by no means easy ; it has 

 been sought for in vain by Lehmann, I/Heretier, and Eees, 

 but has been found by Buchner, Cantu, Jourda, Venables, 

 Orfila, QEsterlen, 1 and Audouard. 2 Iron is almost always present 

 in the urine during its administration as a remedy. Nickel was 

 found by Wohler in the urine of a dog to whom he had given 

 half a drachm of tartrate of nickel and potash. Gold, silver, 

 tin, lead, and bismuth, were found in the urine of dogs to 

 whom Orfila had given large doses of the soluble salts of those 

 metals. Copper and manganese have been detected in the 

 urine by Kramer. 3 



Inorganic acids. Orfila has detected nitric, hydrochloric, 

 and sulphuric acids in the urine. As nitric acid is not a con- 

 stituent of normal urine, there was no ambiguity in this ex- 

 periment. In dogs poisoned with dilute hydrochloric or sul- 

 phuric acid, about six times as much chloride of silver and 

 sulphate of baryta were obtained as are found in ordinary 

 urine. In none of these cases was the urine more acid than 

 usual, the acids having formed neutral salts by combining with 

 the alkalies of the blood. 



Organic acids and their salts. It appears from the inves- 

 tigations of Wohler, that many of the organic acids, adminis- 

 tered in a free state, enter the urine in a state of combination ; 

 as, for instance, oxalic, citric, malic, tartaric, succinic, and gallic 

 acids. 



To the above list Orfila has added acetic acid, and con- 

 firmed Wohler^s statement regarding oxalic acid. 



According to Pereira 4 meconic acid may be occasionally 

 detected in the urine of animals poisoned with opium. 



1 I/Experience, Aug. 1844. 2 Journal de Chim. Med. 9, p. 137. 



3 Giornale dell' Institute Lombardo. 



4 Elements of Materia Medica, 1st ed. vol. 2, p. 1299. 



II. ' 22 



