290 THE URINE. 



elusion suggests itself that the substance may be derived from the 

 ingested albumins, and is formed in the intestinal canal or its 

 walls as a result of some abnormal digestive process. The pres- 

 ence of the albumin may be suspected if a urine gives the usual 

 albumose reaction to a marked degree, as the disease in question is 

 in reality the only one in which larger amounts of an " albumose"- 

 like body are obtained. It can then be isolated by treating the 

 neutralized urine with double its volume of a saturated solution of 

 ammonium sulphate. To identify the substance, it is advisable to 

 digest the body with pepsin, to demonstrate the formation of proto- 

 albumose, and to show that no hetero-albumose is produced. For 

 further details the reader is referred to Magnus-Levy's work. 



TEST FOR FIBRIN. When fibrin is present in the urine it usually 

 occurs in the form of distinct clots, the nature of which is commonly 

 apparent without chemical examination. If it is to be identified in 

 this manner, however, the clots are washed with water until free 

 from blood-pigments. They are then placed in a 5 per cent, solu- 

 tion of sodium chloride containing an excess of thymol, to guard 

 against putrefactive changes. It will be observed that the substance 

 does not dissolve, while in a 0.3 per cent, solution of hydrochloric 

 acid it rapidly swells and is digested after the addition of a little 

 pepsin. 



Test for Histon. The twenty-four hours' urine is first freed 

 from coagulable albumins by boiling. It is then precipitated with 

 a large excess of 94 per cent, alcohol. The precipitate is washed 

 with hot alcohol and dissolved in boiling water. On cooling, the 

 solution is acidified with hydrochloric acid and allowed to stand for 

 a number of hours. Any uric acid that has separated out is 

 removed by filtration, when the filtrate is precipitated with ammonia. 

 The collected material is washed with ammoniacal water until 

 the washings no longer give the biuret reaction. It is then dissolved 

 in dilute acetic acid. If histon is present, the solution coagulates on 

 boiling and gives the biuret reaction. The coagulated material dis- 

 solves in mineral acids. 



Quantitative Estimation of the Ccagulable Albumins. In 

 the clinical laboratory the so-called albuminimeters of Esbach are 

 conveniently employed for this purpose. The method is exceedingly 

 simple, and gives results which are sufficiently accurate for ordinary 

 purposes. To this end, the tube is filled with urine to the mark U. 

 Esbach's reagent, which consists of an aqueous solution containing 

 10 grammes of picric acid and 20 grammes of citric acid to the 

 liter, is then added to the mark R. The tube is closed, inverted a 

 number of times, and set aside for twenty-four hours. The number 

 of the scale which corresponds to the height of the precipitated 

 albumins indicates the amount in grammes in 1000 c.c. of urine. 

 Care must be had, however, that the urine is acid, that the density 

 does not exceed 1.006-1.008, and that the temperature remains at 

 about 15 C. 



