90 
Character  of  the  Urine. 
/  Am.  Jour  Pharm, 
\   February,  1896. 
It  is  usually  of  a  red  color  and  increased  specific  gravity. 
To  physicians  such  urine  is  of  considerable  interest,  also  to  the 
insurance  analyst,  if  it  is  considered  to  what  extent  the  drug  is  con- 
sumed in  the  form  of  the  many  popular  headache  and  neuralgia 
remedies. 
The  popular  effervescent  headache  cures,  to  the  baneful  influence 
of  which  many  are  addicted,  will  furnish  us  with  this  source  of  error, 
as  well  as  the  nostrums,  principally  composed  of  acetanilid,  which 
enjoy  the  patronage  of  many  physicians. 
Acetanilid  is  eliminated  in  the  urine  as  para  amido  phenol  glycur- 
onic  acid. 
According  to  Le  Nobel,  Nylander's  bismuth  test,  to  which  aceta- 
nilid urine  responds,  reacts  in  a  similar  manner  to  glucose  also  with 
urine  passed  after  the  administration  of  kairin,  tincture  of  eucalyptus 
and  large  doses  of  quinine,  giving  a  black  precipitate. 
Chrysophanic  Acid  Urine. — Another  urine,  which  cannot  be  strictly 
classed  with  the  glycuronic,  although  it  possesses  a  number  of  their 
properties,  is  chrysophanic  acid  urine,  eliminated  after  the  adminis- 
tration of  rhubarb  and  senna. 
This  has  been  considerably  treated  upon  recently,  and  a  number 
of  methods  have  been  proposed  to  detect  this  principle  in  urine. 
The  statement  has  been  made,  by  some  writers,  that  such  urine 
possesses  the  property  of  reducing  alkaline  copper  tartrate  and 
alkaline  bismuth  solutions. 
Physical  Properties. — Chrysophanic  urine  is  of  a  yellow,  some- 
times greenish-yellow  color,  gradually  turning  darker  as  the  urine 
undergoes  decomposition. 
It  is  characterized  by  the  red  color  developed  with  alkalies, 
although  the  urine  eliminated  after  the  administration  of  santonin  is 
said  to  possess  the  same  property.  The  red  color  thus  produced  is 
again  changed  to  yellow  by  the  subsequent  addition  of  acids. 
Outside  of  its  similarity  in  color,  chrysophanic  urine  possesses 
none  of  the  characters  of  urine  containing  bile,  or,  perhaps,  only 
when  the  precipitation  method  by  means  of  alkaline  earth  bases  is 
employed,  when,  however,  other  distinguishing  features  prevail. 
Comparison  with  Glucose  Tests. — -It  is  questionable  whether  the 
so-called  reduction  of  copper  tartrate  or  alkaline  bismuth  solution, 
by  means  of  chrysophanic  acid  urine,  is  due  to  the  inherent  property 
of  this  principle. 
