CONCRETION (the act of growing to together), the act of. becoming united into one mass. (1) in a restricted sense the term is used to signify a solid mass, a clot or a lump formed by a process of growing together, as in animal economy, the hard substances that oc casionally make their appearance in different parts of the body, as well in the solids as in those cavities destined to contain fluids; in the former case they are denominated concretions or ossifications; in the latter, calculi. The con cretions are named from the parts of the body in which they occur. Pineal concretions, from their being found in that part of the bmin called the pineal gland, consist of carbonate and phosphate of calcium with organic mat ter; salivary concretions, as being discovered occasionally in the salivary glands, also consist mainly of earthy phosphates; pan creatic concretions are hard substances found in the pancreas; pulmonary concretions, which have been sometimes coughed up by consump tive. persons, contain mucus. and albumen in addition to the salts; hepatic concretions, of which the liver is sometimes full, are composed chiefly of cholesterin, mucus and coloring mat ter; urinary concretions are found in the bladder, and their constituents are very variable, uric acid, mates, fibrin, oxalates, phosphates and several other bodies being found. Gouty
concretions consist of urate of sodium and small quantities of other salts with organic matter. Concretions have been discovered in the intestines and stomach of man, but more frequently in the boc:ies of other animals. Those found in the intestines of a horse were examined by Fourcroy, and found to consist of magnesia, phosphoric acid, ammonia, water and animal matter. (See Cm.cueus). (2) in geology concretion signifies an aggregation of mineral matter, in concentric layers and cast in a spherical form which is frequently flattened. (3) in logic concretion is the act of rendering a concept more determinate or concrete.