No. 12. 



The Veterinarian. — No. 2. 



179 



whether for fattening or milk ; and in beauty, 

 little inferior to the full blooded short horns. 

 They are also I think a more robust animal 

 than the native English, and are probably 

 better adapted to our climate. But let it al- 

 ways be borne in mind by those who attempt 

 to raise fine stock, that without good feeding 

 and kind treatment, no race of animals can be 

 prevented from degenerating. 



A Penn Township Farmer. 



Tbe Teterinariaii. — Wo. 2. 



STONE OR URINARY CALCULUS. 



The urine of all animals appears to be an 

 excretion, consisting of a large portion of wa- 

 ter, and containing such noxious, and effete 

 matter, as would interfere with the healthy 

 performance of the vital functions, if they 

 were not eliminated from the blood. Nearly 

 all the fluid and soluble substances, taken 

 into the stomach, are conveyed to the blood, 

 along with the more nutritious parts of the 

 food. The internal absorbents are, also, con- 

 stantly taking up the effete, and useless mole- 

 cules, which it is their office to remove from 

 every part of the animal organs, and pour 

 them into the common receptacle — the blood. 

 Thus, a great quantity of adventitious and 

 incongruous matter, is constantly combined 

 with that all essential and vitalizing fluid,— 

 An outlet for the excess of aqueous fluid be- 

 comes indispensable, to prevent an injurious 

 accumulation in the blood vessels. A secern- 

 ing organ, capable of separating the noxious 

 material from the blood, is no less necessary, 

 to preserve it in a healthy condition. Both 

 the grand purposes are fulfilled, in an eminent 

 degree, by the kidneys. To enable them 

 the better to perform iheir office, the emul- 

 gent arteries, which supply them with blood, 

 are unusually large in proportion to the size 

 of the organs. 



From these remarks the reader will at once 

 perceive, that the kidneys serve the purpose of 

 a slaice-gate or safely valve, to the blood ves- 

 sels, maintaining an equilibrium in the quan- 

 tity of blood. But they do more, they exer- 

 cise a selective, or discriminating office, so as 

 to preserve the blood pure and homogeneous. 



The office of the kidneys, being to separate 

 extraneous matter from the blood, it follows, 

 that the qualities of the urine will vary with 

 the qualities of the food, and of the products 

 furnished by the digestive and assimilating 

 organs. 



When the urine is separated from the blood, 

 by the kidney, it is received into the funnel 

 shaped cavity, or pelvis of that organ, from 

 whence it is conveyed, by a small fleshy tube, 

 the ureter, to its proper receptacle, the blad- 

 der, where it continues to accumulate until ne- 

 cessity or convenience requires its expulsion 

 through the urethra. 



A urinary calculus, or stone, is a portion of 

 sedimentary matter, deposited from the urine 

 during the passage from the kidneys, and 

 concreted into a solid form. Calculi may, 

 therefore, form in any of the passages named, 

 or, at least, in any of them which serve as re- 

 ceptacles ; such as the pelvis of the kidney, 

 and the bladder. They may also be found 

 lodged in either the ureter or urethra. I shall, 

 therefore, consider stone, as existing — 1st, in 

 the kidney. — 2d, in the ureter. — 3d, in the 

 bladder — and 4th, in the urethra. I must, 

 however, caution the reader, that in all these 

 conditions, the disease is the same — the mani- 

 festations only differ, according to the situa- 

 tion and functions of the affected organ. 



Perhaps the most healthy urine contains a 

 portion of the matter of stone — but, so long 

 as it continues small in quantity, and the 

 solvent power of the fluid remains sufficient 

 to hold it in solution, no harm can result. — 

 Whenever the solvent power becomesdimin- 

 ished, or the sabulous matter superabundant, a 

 sediment will be formed, either in the state of 

 fine sand, or, concreted into stone. In the 

 former state, it may still pass off, with the 

 urine, without injury. When the urine pos- 

 sesses a tendency to form stone, that process 

 is greatly facilitated by the presence of any 

 foreign, solid substance, in the urinary pas- 

 sages. Thus, aglobula of mucous, oracoag- 

 ulum of blood, would form the central nucleus 

 of a stone, when a calculus would not have 

 been formed without such a nucleus. 

 1st. Renal Calculus, or Stone in the Kidney. 

 Perhaps there are no symptoms which suf- 

 ficiently indicate the existence of stone in 

 the kidney — especially in brute animals. — 

 Sometimes it exists without the animal being 

 observed to be unwell. A case related by 

 Youatt, was mistaken for red water, or in- 

 flammation of the kidney, which was truly 

 the case — the stone having produced inflam- 

 mation in that organ. "Great pain was al- 

 ways expressed when the urine was voided ; 

 at other limes there appeared to be colicy 

 spasms : there was excessive tenderness on 

 the loins — and there was some heat." The 

 animal was killed to save the carcass, when 

 the kidney was found " enlarged to nearly 

 twice its natural size, and much inflamed. — 

 Its cavity was filled with a yellow, muco-per- 

 ulent fluid, in which were a great many cal- 

 culi ; some were scarcely larger than sand, 

 but three were the size of a kidney-bean."* 

 The inflammation had spread to the neighbor- 

 ing parts. The reporter supposed this to be 

 the only case recorded. 



A somewhat similar case occurred within 

 my knowledge. A friend of mine killed a cow 

 for family beef a few years since. The ani- 



■ British Cattle, page 517. 



