AND OTHER URINARY DEPOSITS 151 



known, producing a really increased capacity for 

 mental and physical work. Every one knows how 

 a cup of strong tea, coffee, or beef-tea will refresh the 

 weary and give new energy to the student. We know 

 that squads of soldiers doing forced marches are 

 greatly helped by caffeine. It has been repeatedly 

 proved in every army that the cold-tea brigade comes 

 in first, the water men second, and the alcohol squad 

 a bad third. But we must set against this the 

 certainty that purin bodies produce earlier degenera- 

 tion of the arteries, and occasionally they are 

 responsible for very severe types of migraine. 



We shall not attempt here to discuss the difificult 

 and rather barren problem of the pathology of 

 gout. 



We are now in a position to arrive at some practical 

 and clinical deductions from the work of the physiolo- 

 gists. An explanation is furnished of the appearance 

 of the uric acid or urates deposit in the urine so 

 common in functional or organic affections of the 

 liver ; this organ is evidently less active than usual 

 in destroying uric acid. We may draw the following 

 conclusions with regard to the prevention of calculus 

 or gravel in those threatened with these complaints. 

 Meat and broths should be restricted, also tea, coffee, 

 and cocoa ; muscular exercise must be mild, and 

 warning given that fever is dangerous. Of course 

 if uric acid crystals tend to form, plenty of fluid must 

 be taken, and alkaline citrates, acetates, or tartrates 

 given. Salts of hthium used to be preferred, since 

 lithium urate is the most soluble of the urates, but 

 potassium is cheaper and better. The uric acid 



