DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS, 205 



inflammatory cases a sheep-skin or poultice may be first used 

 and followed by a mustard plaster. (See Azot^emia and 

 Red-water.) 



nephritis. simple inflammation of the kidneys. 



Causes. — Blows or sprains in the region of the loins, stone in 

 the kidneys, use of diuretics to excess, musty fodder, irritant or 

 acrid plants in hay, too extensive blisters of Spanish flies, 

 paralysis of the spinal cord. 



Symptoms. — A variable but often very high fever, heat, or 

 even swelling of the loins, tenderness often extreme beneath 

 the bony processes about six inches from the spine, a stiff, 

 straddling gait with the hind limbs, little marked in chronic 

 cases, but so severe as to amount almost to helplessness in the 

 worst, the loins arched, progression difficult and attended in 

 some cases by groaning, there is looking at the abdomen 

 and colicky pains, more severe at one time than another. If 

 the patient lies down it is with caution. In males there are 

 aUernate retraction and descent of the testicles, and in all there 

 is likely to be frequent passages of urine in small amount, of a 

 very high colour and density, and containing fibrinous casts of 

 the kidney tubes one-hundredth of an inch in diameter, and 

 sometimes blood or even pus. The bowels are costive, and 

 there is a rapid pulse, an elevated temperature, and excited 

 breathing. The legs tend to swell uniformly from the foot up, 

 and swellings may appear under the chest or belly, or even in 

 internal cavities. 



General ill-health, with stocking of the legs, casts in the 

 urine, and some tenderness of the loins to pressure, may be all 

 ♦hat is seen in the chronic cases. 



Treatment. — In acute cases, with strong pulse and robust 

 |)atient, an immediate advantage may be gained by bleeding, 

 but this is rare. Give a laxative of olive-oil or raw linseed-oil, 

 or, in case of necessity, of Glauber salts or aloes^ accompanying 



