176 URINALYSIS. 



of the suspected urine. Boil again, and, if sugar be present, a yel- 

 lowish-red precipitate will be formed. 



A quantitative test for sugar may be made with the fermentation 

 saccharometer as follows: To 10 c.c. of urine add one gram of 

 Fleischmann's yeast; shake thoroughly in a test tube; pour the 

 mixture into the saccharometer. The yeast produces the decompo- 

 sition of the sugar with the formation of carbonic acid gas. The 

 quantity of gas evolved indicates the amount of sugar present, and 

 may be determined by the readings of the graduated scale. 



4. Albumin. The presence of albumin in urine may be due to 

 degeneration of the kidney tissues, excessive blood pressure, or an 

 increased diff usibility of the serum-albumin of the blood. It is prob- 

 ably more often due to kidney degeneration, and in such cases is in- 

 dicative of chronic albuminuria, known as Bright's disease. It may 

 be detected by the following methods : 



(1) Heat Test. Pour into a test tube about 10 c.c. of the sus- 

 pected urine; heat the upper portion to boiling. If a cloudiness 

 appears, which is not removed by nitric acid, albumin is present. 



(2) Nitric Acid Test. Pour into a test tube 5 c.c. of nitric acid; 

 then, with a pipette, add, drop by drop, some of the suspected urine, 

 allowing it to run down the side of the tube. If albumin is present, 

 a white ring will be formed at the plane of juncture of the two 

 fluids. 



(3) Quantitative Test. Using Esbach's albuminometer, fill the 

 tube with urine to the graduation U; then add the test solution 

 (10 grams picric acid, 20 grams citric acid, water to make one liter) 

 to fill the tube to graduation E. Cover the end of the tube and 

 shake the contents thoroughly: close the tube with rubber stopper, 

 and set aside for twenty-four hours. The precipitated albumin can 

 then be estimated from the graduated scale, each graduation indi- 

 cating one gram of albumin in a liter of urine. 



5. Chlorides. The quantity of chlorides eliminated by the urine 

 in twenty-four hours is from six to ten grams. When the amount 

 becomes less than five grams, it indicates weakness of digestion. 

 An excessive excretion occurs in diabetes, and is considered a favor- 



