738 
J. F. WINCHESTER. 
iodide, sulphuric acid, and hydrogen sulphide. Lead was con¬ 
sidered as present only when all four tests were obtained. 
The paper is presented merely as a preliminary statement of 
the facts obtained thus far, and in no sense as conclusive evi¬ 
dence of the origin of azoturia. The wide distribution of lead 
makes proof by chemical means alone impossible, but the re¬ 
sults obtained are certainly suggestive. 
An attempt is to be made to produce the disease in normal 
horses by the administration of lead salts. 
THE PATHOLOGY OF AZOTURIA. 
(Preliminary Communication.) 
W. R. Brinckerhoff, S.B. (From the Sears Laboratory of Pathology.) 
The material upon which the following description is based 
was derived from eleven autopsies upon undoubted cases of 
azoturia, occurring in Boston between January i and May i, 
1900. The work was undertaken as supplementary to the chem¬ 
ical investigations of Dr. Balch, and is not intended to be a 
complete description of the pathology of the disease. The 
liver, spleen, kidney, and psoas muscle only were studied. For 
control, the organs from three normal horses, three cases of 
colic, and one of pneumonia were examined. 
Gross Anatomy .—The organs were examined as soon after 
the death of the animal as possible, usually within six hours. 
The following points were observed : 
Liver .—In the acute cases the liver, on section,' showed 
nothing abnormal. When the disease had been of a longer du¬ 
ration the cut surface presented small pale yellow areas corre¬ 
sponding in distribution to the centres of the lobules. 
Spleen .—In the spleens of two cases there could be felt firm 
lumps from 1 to 5 cm. in diameter, which on section of the 
organ were seen to be of a deeper red color than the rest of the 
spleen substance. These haemorrhagic infarcts have been fre¬ 
quently observed in the spleen in azoturia. In the other cases 
examined nothing of note was seen in the fresh spleen. 
Kidney .—The examination of the fresh kidney showed noth¬ 
ing but a marked congestion of the organ. 
