613 
OBSERVATIONS ON THE 
£> 
APPLICATION OF CHEMISTRY TO PHYSIOLOGY, 
PATHOLOGY, AND PRACTICE. 
By Wm. Prout, M.D., F.R.S. 
[Continued from page 580.] 
LECTURE III. 
Chemical Properties of some of the more important Principles of 
the Urine—Of Chylous Urine — Urea—Cystic Oxide—Lithic 
Acid—Purpuric Acid , fyc. 
In the present lecture it is my intention to exhibit to you a few 
of the leading chemical properties of some of the more important 
principles occurring in the urine, and at the same time to take a 
concise view of an interesting and very rare form of disease con¬ 
nected with * 
Albuminous Urine ; or rather that variety termed chylous urine, 
and which, I believe, was first distinctly described by myself in 
my little work on urinary diseases. Since that time, principally 
by the favour of different friends, I have seen more or less of 
eight other cases of the same affection. 
The properties of the urine in this disease (of which I here ex¬ 
hibit a specimen) have been so minutely described in the work 
above alluded to, that I do not think it necessary to enter very 
minutely into the subject at present, particularly as many of the 
phenomena require close attention, and can scarcely be exhibited 
in a public lecture. The leading circumstances are, that in gene¬ 
ral this urine so nearly resembles chyle in all respects, as to be 
scarcely distinguishable from it: that it occasionally passes on 
the one hand into blood, and 6n the other into lithate of am¬ 
monia ; that the chylous state is generally found to be more 
marked two or three hours after eating, while in the morning it 
is sometimes nearly absent; lastly, that its specific gravity little 
exceeds, and sometimes does not equal, that of healthy urine : so 
that unless the quantity of urine be inordinate, which is some¬ 
times the case, the drainage from the system does not much 
exceed that of health—a circumstance accounting in some decree 
for the little constitutional disturbance generally produced by this 
affection. 
The following conclusions may be drawn from the cases which 
have occurred to me:— 
First.—This disease occurs in both sexes before and after 
puberty. Of the nine cases, four were males and five females ; 
and two cases occurred before puberty, one, namely, in each sex. 
