36 



« II .MILKS I'. \V. 1IC (LLlIK 



Owing to a possible inefficiency in kidney function, due to 

 the presence of albumin in the urine, albuminuria has been 

 regarded as a cause of oedema. In the frog it can be demon- 

 strated by experiment that an oedema does result both when 

 there is a deficiency in development of the renal tubules (Mc- 

 Clure, '19) and when the kidneys of a larval frog have been 

 extirpated (Howland, '16, and Swingle, '19). Of this there 

 can be no question. The point at issue at present, however, 



TABLE 11 



Behavior of a frog, not afflicted with red-leg disease but in which an acute 

 nephritis has been experimentally developed, ivhen placed in tap-water at 29° 

 and 16° C. 



is whether in red-leg disease the presence of albuminuria 

 causes an actual inefficiency in kidney function sufficient to 

 account in this disease for the gradual and excessive accu- 

 mulation of lymph in the body (table G). Frogs with red-leg 

 disease are much less resistant than normal frogs and when 

 placed in water at temperatures beyond the range of their 

 natural environment, almost immediately fall into a comatose 

 condition which is accompanied by cardiac inefficiency. Since 

 cardiac inefficiency is in itself a cause of oedema, one is unable 



