744 URINE. 



Several alkaloids, such as quinine, morphine, and strychnine, may pass into 

 the urine. After the ingestion of turpentine, balsam of copaiba, and resins, these 

 may appear in the urine as resin acids. Different kinds of coloring-matters, such 

 as alizarin, crysophanic acid, after rhubarb or senna, and the coloring-matter of 

 the blueberry, etc., may also pass into the urine. After rhubarb, senna, or santonin 

 the urine assumes a yellow or greenish-yellow color, which is transformed into 

 a beautiful red by the addition of alkali. Phenol produces, as above mentioned, 

 a dark-brown or dark-green color which depends mainly on the decomposition 

 products of hydroquinone and humin substances. After naphthalene the urine 

 has a dark color, and several other medicinal agents produce a special coloration. 

 Thus after antipyrine it becomes yellow or blood-red. After balsam of copaiba 

 the urine becomes, when strongly acidified with hydrochloric acid, gradually 

 rose- and purple-red. After naphthalene or naphthol the urine gives with con- 

 centrated sulphuric acid (1 cc. of concentrated acid and a few drops of urine) 

 a beautiful emerald-green color, which is probably due to naphthol-glucuronic 

 acid. Odoriferous bodies also pass into the urine. After asparagus the urine 

 acquires a disgusting odor which is probably due to methylmercaptan, according 

 to M. NENCKi. 1 After turpentine the urine may have a peculiar odor similar 

 to that of violets. 



VI. PATHOLOGICAL CONSTITUENTS OF URINE. 



Proteid. The appearance of slight traces of proteid in normal urine 

 has been repeatedly observed by many investigators, such as POSNER 

 PLOSZ, v. NOORDEN, LEUBE, and others. According to K. MoRNER 2 

 proteid regularly occurs as a normal urinary constituent to the extent 

 of 22-78 milligrams per liter. Frequently traces of a substance, similar 

 to a nucleoalbumin, which is easily mistaken for mucin, and whose nature 

 will be treated of later, appears in the urine. In diseased conditions 

 proteid occurs in the urine in a variety of cases. The albuminous bodies 

 which most often occur are serglobulin and seralbumin. Proteoses (or 

 peptones) are also sometimes present. The quantity of proteid in the 

 urine is in most cases less than 5 p. m., rarely 10 p. m., and only very rarely 

 does it amount to 50 p. m. or over. Cases are known, however, where it 

 was even more than 80 p. m. 



Among the many reactions proposed for the detection of proteid in 

 urine, the following are to be recommended : 



The Heat Test. Filter the urine and test its reaction. An acid 

 urine may, as a rule, be boiled without further treatment, and only in 

 especially acid urines is it necessary to first treat with a little alkali. 

 An alkaline urine is made neutral or faintly acid before heating. If the 

 urine is poor in salts, add 1/10 vol. of a saturated common-salt solution 

 before boiling; then heat to the boiling-point, and if no precipitation, 

 cloudiness, or opalescence appears, the urine in question contains no 

 cpagulable proteid, but it may contain proteoses or peptones. If a pre- 

 cipitate is produced on boiling, this may consist of proteid, or of earthy 

 phosphates, or of both. The monohydrogen calcium phosphate decom- 

 poses on boiling, and the normal phosphate may separate out. The 



1 Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 28. 2 Skand.Arch. f. Physiol., 6 (literature). 



