252 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 



tissue. It is seen in anemia (chronic) ; with the presence of pus, 

 or accompanying the admixture of vaginal discharge. 



Important notes. Specimens for complete urine analysis should 

 represent the activity of the kidneys during twenty-four hours, as 

 the composition of the urine varies during exercise and rest, in 

 fasting or when food is taken, and so forth. 



It will often be the duty of the nurse to test the chemical re- 

 action by the use of litmus paper. Acidity is due to kidney con- 

 ditions; alkalinity to bladder conditions (usually). (The reaction 

 is influenced by drugs.) 



Polyuria is excessive secretion of urine. 



Oliguria is diminished secretion scanty urine. 



Hematuria is the secretion of bloody urine. 



Hemoglobinuria is the secretion of urine which contains the 

 colored portion (hemoglobin) of disintegrated red blood cells. 



Glycosuria is the secretion of urine containing grape sugar or 

 glucose. 



ABNORMAL POSITIONS OF THE KIDNEY 



A kidney may develop in some unusual location; if it is fixed in 

 that position it is called a misplaced kidney. 



A floating kidney is one which develops in an unusual location 

 but is not fixed in that position. It then has a covering of peri- 

 toneum (meso-nephron) like that of other abdominal organs and 

 moves freely. 



A movable kidney is one developed in the proper place, but either 

 through loss of the fatty capsule, or relaxation of tissues generally, 

 it moves in its capsule of fascia. It makes excursions upward and 

 downward following the movements of the diaphragm and may 

 be palpated. It may become quite displaced and even fixed in the 

 abnormal position constituting a dislocated kidney. 



During development the kidney consists of lobules which later 

 become fused into a uniform structure; persistence of this lobu- 

 lated arrangement (infantile kidney} may be observed at autopsy. 

 This is not important. 



Occasionally one kidney may be absent. Sometimes two kid- 

 neys are fused into one, making an arched or horse-shoe kidney. 



