§72 
U R I 
U R I 
u it s 
Ammonia, 
Carbonat of ammonia, 
Phosphat of ammonia, 
Phosphat of magnesia and ammonia, 
Urat of ammonia, 
Acetat of ammonia, 
Benzoat of ammonia. 
Mu rial of soda, 
Muriat of ammonia ; 
/besides the precipitated gelatine, and phosphat 
Of lime. 
I’he distillation of urine produces almost 
the same changes : for the heat of boiling wa- 
ter is sufficient to decompose urea, and to 
convert it into ammonia, carbonic, and acetic 
acids. Accordingly, when urine is distilled, 
there come over water, containing ammonia 
—dissolved in it, and carbcnut of ammonia in 
crystals ; the acids contained in urine are sa- 
turated with ammonia, and the gelatine and 
phosphat of lime precipitate. 
Such are the properties of human urine in 
e state of health.: but this excretion .is singu- 
larly modified by disease and the changes to 
which it is liable" have attracted the attention 
of physicians in all ages, because they serve 
in some measure to indicate the state of the 
patient and the progress of the disease under 
which he labours. The following are the most 
remarkable of these changes that have been 
observed: 
1. In inflammatory -diseases the urine is of 
.a red colour, and peculiarly acrid ; it depo- 
sits no sediment on standing, but with ox y mu- 
riat of mercury it yields a copious precipitate. 
2. During jaundice the urine has an orange- 
vellow colour, and communicates the same 
tint to linen. Muriatic acid renders this 
/urine green, and thus detects the presence ot a 
-little bile. 
3. About tire end of inflammatory diseases 
• the urine becomes abundant, and deposits a 
copious pink-coloured sediment, composed of 
rosacic acid, a little phosphat of lime, and 
uric acid. 
4. During hysterical paroxysms, the urine 
usually flows abundantly. It is limpid and co- 
lourless, containing much salt, but scarcely any 
urea or gelatine. 
5. Mr. Berthollet observed that the urine of 
gouty persons contains usually much less phos- 
phoric acid than healthy urine. But during a 
gouty paroxysm it contains much more phos- 
phoric acid than usual ; though not more 
than constantly exists in healthy urine. 
6. In general dropsy, the urine is loaded 
with albumen, and becomes milky, or even 
-coagulates, when heated, or at least when acids 
are mixed with it. In dropsy from diseased 
liver, no albumen is present, the urine is scanty, 
high-coloured, and deposits the pink-coloured 
sediment. 
7. In dyspepsia, the urine always yields a 
copious precipitate with tan, and putrefies ra- 
pidly. 
8. The urine of rickety patients is said to 
be loaded with phosphat ot lime, or, accord- 
ing to others, with oxalat of lime. 
9. In diabetes, the urine is sweet- tasted and 
often loaded with saccharine matter. In one 
case, the urine emitted daily by a diabetic 
patient, according to the experiments ot 
Cruikshank, contained 29 ounces of sugar. 
The urine of other animals differs consi- 
derably from that of man. For the analyses 
of the urine of quadrupeds hitherto -made, w« 
are chiefly indebted to Rouelle junior. 1 be 
following facts have been ascertained by that, 
chemist, and by the late experiments of I our- 
croy and Vauquelin : 
1. The urine of the horse has a peculiar 
odour : after exercise it is emitted thick and 
milky ; at other times it is transparent, but be- 
comes muddy soon after its emission. "W hen 
exposed to the air, its surface becomes covered 
with a crust of carbonat of lime. It gives a 
green colour to syrup ot violets, and has the 
consistence of mucilage. The following are 
its constituents as estimated by Fourcroy and 
Vauquelin from their experiments: 
Carbonat of lime . . 0.011 
Carbonat of soda . . 0.009 
Benzoat of soda . . 0.024 
Muriat of potass . . . 0.009 
•Urea 0.007 
Water and mucilage . 0.940 
1.000 
From the late experiments of Mr. Giese, 
we learn that the quantity of benzoat ot soda 
varies considerably in the urine ot horses. In 
some specimens lie found it in abundance, 
and easily precipitated by muriatic acid. In 
others there was little or none. lie could de- 
tect no benzoic acid in the food of horses. 
Hence he considers it as formed within the 
animal, and he thinks that it appears only in 
cases of disease. 
II. The urine of the cow has a strong re- 
semblance to that of the horse ; it has neaily 
the same odour, and the same mucilaginous 
consistence It tinges syrup of violets green, 
and deposits a gelatinous matter. _ On stand- 
ing, small crystals are formed on Its surface. 
It contains, according to Rouelle, 
■1. Carbonat of potass, 4. Benzoic acid, 
2. Sulphat of potass, • 5. Urea.' 
3. Muriat of Potass, 
III. The urine of the camel was also exa- 
mined by Rouelle. Its odour resembles that of 
the urine of the cow ; its colour is that of beer, 
it is not mucilaginous, and does not deposit 
carbonat of lime. It gives a green colour to 
syrup of violets, and effervesces with acids 
like the urine of the horse and cow. Rouelle 
obtained from it, 
1 . Carbonat of potass, 
2. Sulphat of potass, 
3. Muriat of potass, 
4. Urea. 
IV. The urine of the rabbit has been lately 
analysed by Vauquelin. When exposed to 
the air, it becomes milky, and deposits car- 
bonat of lime. It gives a green colour to sy- 
rup of violets, and effervesces with acids. 
That chemist detected in it the following sub- 
stances : 
1. Carbonat of lime, 
2. Carbonat of magnesia, 
3. Carbonat of potass, 
4. Sulphat of potass, 
5. Sulphat of lime, 
6. Muriat of potass, 
7. Urea, 
8. Gelatine, 
9. Sulphur. 
V. Vauquelin has also made some expe- 
riments on the urine of the guinea-pig, from 
which it appears that it resembles the urine of 
the other quadrupeds. It deposits car bouat of 
lime, ^ives a green colour to syrup of_ violets, 
and contains carbonat and muriat of potass, 
but no phosphat nor uric acid. 1 1 
Thus it appears that the urine of the grami- 
nivorous quadrupeds agrees with t!-i human in 
containing urea, but differs from it materially 
in being destitute of phosphoric acid, pbosj 
phats, and uric acid. Whether the urine of 
carnivorous quadrupeds contains these last 
substances has not been ascertained, but it is 
probable that it does. 
URSA, the bear, in astronomy, a name 
common to two constellations of the norther 
hemisphere, near the pole, distinguished b 
major and minor. The ursa major, or th 
great bear, according to Ptolemy’s catalogue 
consists of thirty-five stars : according to Ty 
cho-’s, of fifty-six : but in the Britannic cat' 
logue we have two hundred and fifteen. 
The ursa minor, or little bear called al 
Charles’s wain, and by the Greeks cynosure 
by its neighbourhood to the north pole, give 
the denomination apxr bear, thereto. Ptc 
lemy and T) cho make it to consist of eig 
stars, but Flamsteed of fourteen. 
IJRSUS, bear, a genus of quadrupeds of th 
order ferae : the generic character is, fror 1 
teeth six both above and below : the two k 
teral ones of the lower jaw longer than the res 
and lobed ; with smaller or secondary teet 
at their internal bases ; canine teeth solitary 
grinders five or six on each side, the first aj: 
proximated to the canine teeth ; tongu 
smooth; snout prominent; eyes furnishe 
with a nictitating membrane. There are te 
species. 
1. Ursus arctos. The common bear, wit 
some variation as to size and colour, is a n: 
tive of almost all the northern parts of Euroj 
and Asia, and is even said to be found in sou 
ot the Indian islands, as Ceylon, &c. It ii 
habits woods and unfrequented places, ar 
feeds chiefly on roots, fruits, and other veg 
table substances, but occasionally preys f 
animals. In the Alpine regions the bear 
brown ; in some other parts of Europe, blacl 
and in some parts of Norway has been seen' 
a grey colour, and even perfectly white 
this latter change of colour sometimes tak 
place, as is well known, in several oth 
animals, and most frequently in such as a 
naturallv black or of very dark colours. T 
brown, the black, the grey, and the white lan 
bears are, therefore, to be considered as 
the same species : yet it is observed that t 
brown and black varieties differ somewhat 
their manner of life; the black confining its 
almost -entirely to vegetable food; the brow 
on the contrary, frequently attacking and pre 
ing upon other animals, and destroying lain! 
kids, and even sometimes cattle, and sucki 
the blood in the manner of the cat and wee 
tribes. Linnxus adds, that the bear has a w 
of blowing up his prey, and of hiding or bui 
ing a part of it. Bears are reported to 
particularly fond of honey, in search of whi 
they will climb trees, in order to get at t 
nests of wild bees; for the bear, notwithstai 
ing his awkward form, is expert in climbii 
and sometimes takes up his residence in t 
hollow of a very large tree. The bear v 
also catch and devour fish, occasionally f 
quenfing the banks of rivers for that purpos 
The bear passes a considerable part of t 
