Diseases of the Urinarij Organs. 205 



NEPHRITIS. SIMPLE INFLAMMATION OE THE KIDNEYS. 



Causes. Blows or sprains in tlie region of the loins, 

 stone in the kidneys, use of diuretics to excess, musty 

 fodder, irritant or acrid plants in hay, too extensive blis- 

 ters 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, httle 

 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 alternate retraction and de- 

 scent of the testicles, and in all there is Hkely to be frequent 

 passages of urine in small amount, of a very high color and 

 density, and containing fibrinous casts of the kidney tubes 

 oue-hundreth 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 beUy, 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 that is seen in the chronic cases. 



Treatment. In acute cases, with strong pulse and ro- 

 bust patient, an immediate advantage may be gained by 

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

 ra^ ■ linseed-oil, or in case of necessity of Glauber salts or 

 aloes, accompanying this with an anodyne, (opium, bella- 

 donna, tobacco,) throw anodyne and mucilaginous injec- 

 tions into the rectum, and cover the loins with a fresh 

 sheep-skin, the fleshy side in, or with a soothing poultice or 

 fomentations, following this up in six or eight hours by a 

 mustard poultice. Mucilaginous drinks may be gi^en 



