The peculiar and characteristic odor of nor mal urine becomes a °strong odor" in highly concentrated urines, a aputrescent° one when mucus and other organic matters are decom posed, an aammoniacal° one when the ammo nium carbonate has formed from the urea, or a sweetish one from the presence of sugar in the urine.
Certain substances ingested also give dis tinctive odors to urine, as turpentine producing the odor of violets, and the odors of cubebs, copaiba and sandal-wood oil.
The specific gravity, though normally about 1.020, for 50 ounces of urine per 24 hours, when the skin is not acting freely and after copious use of water and diuretics, may descend to 1.010 or lower and yet be within the limits of health. Or when the urine becomes concen trated by the drain of water through the skin or some other channel the specific gravity may rise to 1.030 or higher. The normal range may be said to be from 1.005 to 1.030, but to be relia ble, observation should be made on the entire quantity of urine passed in 24 hours. The specific gravity in diabetes mellitus sometimes reaches 1.050, and, according to Tyson, if in a
copious urine the specific gravity is over 1.028 there is a suspicion of diabetes, and even if it is 1.010 or lower it is not safe to infer from this circumstance alone the absence of sugar. Specific gravity is also increased in the first stage of acute fevers, and of acute Bright's dis ease. It is lowered in hysterical complaints and in all forms of nephritis except the acute.
The quantity of urine is increased in diabetes mellitus and insipidus, in hysterical and convulsive conditions, in cardiac hyper trophy and all conditions which cause increased blood pressure, by the peripheral action of cold etc. It is diminished in most forms of Bright's disease and in the early history of acute fevers and inflammatory conditions. Mor bid conditions of the urine include glycosuria or glucosuria, oxaluria, albuminuria and phos phaturia. Consult Simon, E. C., 'A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis) (8th ed., Philadelphia 1914); 'Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences) (New York 1915).