DISEASES OF CATTLE 139 



same happens with violent muscular spasms, as from strychnia poi- 

 soning, lockjaw, epilepsy, and convulsions; (5) in most fevers and 

 extensive inflammations of important organs, like the lungs, or 

 liver, the escape of the albumen being variously attributed to the 

 high temperature of the body and disorder of the nerves, and to 

 resulting congestion and disorder of the secreting cells of the kid- 

 neys; (6) in burns and some other congested states of the skin; (7) 

 under the action of certain poisons (strong acids, phosphorus, 

 arsenic, Spanish flies, carbolic acid, and those inducing bloody 

 urine) ; (8) in certain conditions of weakness or congestion of the 

 secreting cells of the kidneys, so that they allow this element of 

 the blood to escape; (9) when the food is entirely wanting in com- 

 mon salt, albumen may appear in the urine temporarily after a 

 full meal containing an excess of albumen. It can also be produced 

 experimentally by puncturing the back part of the base of the brain 

 (the floor of the fourth ventricle close to the point the injury to 

 which causes sugary urine) . In abscesses, tumors, or inflammation 

 of the bladder, ureter, or urethra, the urine is albuminous. 



It follows, therefore, that albumen in the urine does not indi- 

 cate the existence of any one specific disease, and excepting when 

 due to weakness or loss of function of the kidney cells, it must be 

 looked on as an attendant on another disease, the true nature of 

 which we must try to find out. These affections we must exclude 

 one by one until we are left to assume the noninflammatory dis- 

 order of the secreting cells of the kidney. It is especially important 

 to exclude inflammation of the kidney, and to do this may require 

 a microscopic examination of the sediment of the urine and the 

 demonstration of the entire absence of casts of the uriniferous tubes. 

 (See "Nephritis.) 



To detect albumen in the urine, the suspected and frothy liquid 

 must be rendered sour by adding a few drops of nitric acid and 

 then boiled in a test tube. If a solid precipitate forms, then add a 

 few more drops of nitric acid, and if the liquid does not clear it up 

 it is albumen. A precipitate thrown down by boiling and redis- 

 eolved by nitric acid is probably phosphate of lime. 



Treatment. Treatment will usually be directed to the disease 

 on which it is dependent. In the absence of any other recognizable 

 disease, mucilaginous drinks of boiled flaxseed, slippery elm, or 

 gum may be given, tannic acid one-half dram twice daily, and 

 fomentations or even mustard poultices over the loins. When the 

 disease is chronic and there is no attendant fever (elevation of tem- 

 perature), tonics (hydrochloric acid, 6 drops in a pint of water; 

 phosphate of iron, 2 drams, or sulphate of quinia, 2 drams, repeated 

 twice daily) may be used. In all cases the patient should be kept 

 carefully from cold and wet ; a warm, dry shed, or in warm weather 

 a dry, sunny yard or pasture, being especially desirable. 



SUGAR IN URINE (DIABETES MELLITUS) . 



This is a frequent condition of the urine in parturition fever, 

 is practically unknown in cattle as a specific disease, associated 



