120 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



organs, like the lungs, or liver, the escape of the albumen being vari- 

 ously attributed to the high temperature of the body and disorder of 

 the nerves, and to resulting congestion and disorder of the secreting 

 cells of the kidneys; (6) in burns and some other congested states of 

 the skin; (7) under the action of certain poisons (strong acids, phos- 

 phorus, arsenic, Spanish flies, carbolic acid, and those inducing bloody 

 urine); (8) in certain conditions of weakness or congestion of the 

 secreting cells of the kidneys, so that they allow this element of the 

 blood to escape; (9) when the food is entirely wanting in common 

 salt, albumen may appear in the urine temporarily after a full meal 

 containing an excess of albumen. It can also be produced experi- 

 mentally by puncturing the back part of the base of the brain (the 

 floor of the fourth ventricle close to the point the injury to which 

 causes sugary urine). In abscess, tumor, or inflammation of the blad- 

 der, ureter, or urethra, the urine is albuminous. 



It follows, therefore, that albumen in the urine does not indicate 

 the existence of any one specific disease, and excepting when due to 

 weakness or loss of function of the kidney cells, it must be looked on 

 as an attendant on another disease, the true nature of which we must 

 try to find out. These affections we must exclude one by one until 

 we are left to assume the noninflammatory disorder of the secreting 

 cells of the kidney. It is especially important to exclude inflamma- 

 tion of the kidney, and to do this may require a microscopic examina- 

 tion of the sediment of the urine and the demonstration of the entire 

 absence of casts of the uriniferous tubes. (See "Nephritis," p. 121.) 



To detect albumen in the urine, the suspected and frothy liquid 

 must be rendered sour by adding a few drops of nitric acid and then 

 boiled in a test tube, if a solid precipitate forms, then add a few 

 more drops of nitric acid, and if the liquid does not clear it up it is 

 albumen. A precipitate thrown down by boiling and redissolved by 

 nitric acid is probably phosphate of lime. 



Treatment. — Treatment will usually be directed to the disease on 

 which it is dependent. In the absence of any other recognizable dis- 

 ease, mucilaginous drinks of boiled flaxseed, slippery elm, or gum 

 may be given, tannic acid one-half dram twice daily, and fomenta- 

 tions or even mustard poultices over the loins. When the disease is 

 chronic and there is no attendant fever (elevation of temperature), 

 tonics (hydrochloric acid, 6 drops in a pint of water; phosphate of 

 iron, 2 drams, or sulphate of quinia, 2 drams, repeated twice daily) 

 may be used. In all cases the patient should be kept carefully from 

 cold and wet; a warm, dry shed, or in warm weather a dry, sunny 

 yard or pasture, being especially desirable. 



SUGAR IN URINE (DIABETES MELLITUS). 



This is a frequent condition of the urine in parturition fever, but is 

 practically unknown in cattle as a specific disease, associated with 



