CHAPTER VI. 

 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



THE urine, sometimes called stale, is separated from 

 the blood by the kidneys, from whence it is carried 

 into the bladder by the ureters. Nephritis is an in- 

 flammation of the Kidneys, Cystitis of the Bladder. 

 Inflammation may be acute or chronic, and as the symptoms 

 are somewhat different these conditions are treated separately. 



1. Acute Inflammation of the Kidneys. 



Causes. — Exposure to cold — standing out in cold rain 

 storms such as we have in Canada in the spring and fall or 

 lying on the cold, damp ground — is the commonest cause. 

 Violent exertion such as that of racing or carrying a heavy 

 weight upon the back may so injure the kidneys as to cause 

 acute inflammation ; so, too, may large quantities of certain 

 medicines that act directly upon them. 



Fig. 19. — Acute Inflammation of the Kidneys 



Symptoms. — There is a feverish condition accompanied 

 by a full, bounding pulse running from 60 to 80 per minute. 

 The mouth is hot and dry, the breathing heavy, and there is 

 a tendency to sweat freely. The patient looks round at his 



