Acute Nephritis. Acute Bright' s Disease. 221 



the loins, abrupt wheeling when in galop, exposure to cold winds, 

 and storms, especially when perspiring and fatigued, sudden sup- 

 pression of perspiration, extreme terror, bacterial infection and 

 infection by toxins (in septicaemia, pyaemia, influenza, contagious 

 pneumonia, uterine sepsis, omphalitis, infectious angina (Fried- 

 berger), bronchitis (Siedamgrotzky), glanders, tuberculosis. 

 Among dietary causes are named : a rich nitrogenous food 

 (grains, beans, peas, vetches, cotton seed, clover), raw potatoes 

 in excess, cotton seed meal, agents that increase the nitrogenous 

 and xanthin bodies in the urine. 



Dr. Alfred C. Croftan, in his experiments with xanthin 

 bodies on rabbits, found that xanthin and hypoxanthin pro- 

 duced great increase of arterial pressure, atheromatous changes 

 in the vessel walls consisting in thickening of the intima, with 

 small celled infiltration and necrotic changes in different areas of 

 the vessel walls. This in the kidney produces the primary inter- 

 stitial form of nephritis known as gouty kidnej^ and associated 

 with retention of uric acid and other xanthin bodies. The 

 accompanying cardiac hypertrophy, so common with such kid- 

 neys, he attributes to the increased intravascular pressure. 



Irritant vegetables that are resinous or diuretic, and irritant 

 diuretic insects are incriminated (cantharides, caterpillars in 

 grass, or on plants, etc., lice on cabbages particularly, — Cruzel, 

 Neubert). Irritant drugs that are eliminated by the kidnej^s 

 have been equally charged (tar, carbolic acid, iodoform, chlorate 

 of potash, nitrate of potash, phosphorus, arsenic, lead, mercury). 

 Compulsory suppression of micturition is undoubtedly injurious 

 in house dogs shut up, mares kept long in harness, or horse on 

 railway car, above all if this follows a diuretic or drinking 

 abundantly. In such cases it is altogether probable that bacteria 

 already exist in the blood or kidneys and take occasion to attack 

 the ti.ssues weakened by the overdistension or other inimical 

 cause. This is all the more probable seeing that the kidneys are 

 a favorite channel for the elimination of bacteria present in the 

 system. It should be noted that nephritis is liable to supervene 

 on extensive skin burns, chronic dermatitis and other .skin 

 diseases. Some cases are traceable to emboli.sm, the clots coming 

 from the lungs, heart or arteries, in others the irritation is due to 

 calculi in the renal pelvis or tubules, and their attendant bacteria. 



