s. Febrile urine, with debility. The pro portion of water diininished. Specific gravity less than in a. Solid matters also less in the twenty-four hours. Uric acid in normal proportion. All other constituents absolutely but not relatively diminished. This urine is then less concentrated than that of health. It is deeply coloured, often turbid from deposit of uric acid. It occurs in adynamic fevers.
7. Febrile urine containing the natural pro portion of water. — Urea and fixed salts dimi nished in proportion. Uric acid and other organic matters normal. Specific gravity low. Colour deep. No sediment.
2. Ancemic urine. — a. True ancemic urine.— Water in the twenty-four hours nearly normal. Solids discharged much less than in health. Urea, uric acid, and fixed salts diminished. Other organic matters decreased in slighter degree than the above. Specific gravity low. Colour light. No sediment.
13. — Concentrated anwmic urine.—Water in twenty-four hours diminished, although the solids are then relatively increased, still they are absolutely diminished. Urea, uric acid, and fixed salts especially diminished. Other organic matters less so. Urine of livid or greenish tint.
3. Alkaline urine.—Distinguished by alkaline reaction on test paper. Odour ammoniacal : occurs in acute and chronic nephritis, diseases of the bladder with secretion of pus, and in certain cerebral diseases; occasionally in the " morbus Brightii." 4. Urine nearly normal. —Nearly that of health. Occurs in mild disorders unaccom panied by fever.
With respect to this classification of Bec querel, it may be observed that the heads of arrangement by no means embrace all the forms of diseased urine met with in practice, —an end, indeed, which will scarcely be com passed by any attempts of the kind. There appears no advantage in making such clas sifications; and indeed much evil must result from the necessary endeavour which will be made in such a table to place diseases under headings which either imperfectly or incor rectly express their real character. The table, however, is of some value, as showing the general results obtained in fevers and in anwmia ; but further than this the student need not regard it.
The following introductory remarks by Franz Simon are extremely valuable, and will well repay the reader for the trouble taken in their careful perusal. I transcribe them from Dr.
Day's translation for the Sydenham Society: " In inflammatory affections, and in those diseases which are accompanied by that form of fever which is termed sthenic or synochal, the urine differs greatly in its properties from normal urine. In speaking of the probable cause of the changed constitution of the blood in the phlogoses, I showed that it is not to be referred to the diseased organ, but to the re action which manifests itself throughout the vascular system. If the change in the con stitution of the blood bears an accurate and inseparable relation to the fever, there can be no doubt that the change in the constitution of the urine must be in relation to the same cause; for the urine is separated from the blood, and was previously an integral constituent of it: and because, further, every alteration in the constitution of the blood must involve corresponding changes in the secretions and excretions, and more especially in the urine. Since like effects follow like causes, and since in inflammatory affections the vascular system similarly participates in the disturbance, we may assumed priori that similar changes will occur in the urine,—a point confirmed by ex perience.
"The urine discharged during inflammations is usually termed febrile urine. There is no objection to this term, since the cause of the change in the urine must be sought for in the fever. I shall not, however, introduce the term ' febrile urine' here, since it is more than probable that the changes in the compo sition of the urine vary according as the cha racter of the fever is synochal or torpid.
"My analyses show, in fact, that the relative proportions of urea in fevers of a torpid and of a synochal character are different ; and al though the analyses are not yet sufficiently numerous to establish the difference with cer tainty, it still appears to me to be a point of sufficient importance to demand attention, and one that should be carefully worked out. In order to take a correct view of the compo sition of the urine, we must bear in mind the composition of the blood, the reaction of the vascular system, and the diet, since the mix ture of the proximate constituents is de pendent upon these circumstances.