1885 v. 28 - Lane Medical Library Digital Document Repository

Notes on Albuminuria. 11
Wminuria depends on three renal conditions. 1st. The inflammatory.
2d. Waxy degeneration. 3d. Fatty degeneration. These
two pathological conditions are apt to merge into each other and
are incurable. In Life Insurance much might depend on the
diagnosis of the pathological condition on which the albuminuria
depends. If from inflammation cure may take place.
The doctor mentioned a case occurring in his practice some
years ago, where, with convulsions and ascites, the urine on boiling
showed abundance of albumen. Treatment adopted was cathartics,
the bi-tartrate of potash c and milk diet. In about two'
months all traces had disappeared, with no subsequent relapse.
DR. SIMMONS. During my earlier years of practice, in common
with the reader of the evening, I had been in the habit of attaching
great importance to the presence of even a trace of albumen in
the urine. A longer experience, however, and a watching of some
cases with this sympton for eight, ten, and twelve years, and where
the general health remained good, led me to modify my opinion,
and to recognize the fact, that without other symptoms, albuminous
urine does not, in all cases, indicate grave disease. It is certain
the urine of adolescents frequently contains albumen, and the
proportion may be sensibly increased by an albuminous diet.
Some recent experiments also have come to my notice, where nearly
one-third the students in a Physiological Laboratory, who were
preparing for a lengthy examination, were found to have traces of
the same substance present in their urine.
DR. SNIDER. Have for some years been led to regard the presence
of albumen as not a positive evidence of renal disease. It
may be taken in connection with other symptoms, but must not be
relied on as positive evidence. Remember a case in which some
ten years ago the urine was loaded with albumen, where now no
trace exists. Have noticed cases, where, after scarlatina the albumen
persists for many months.
DR. NICHOLS, while believing that the existence of albumen is ordinarily
an alarming symptom, thought that it was often unnecessarily
exaggerated. It frequently depended more on some functional
derangement, as congestion, than on organic disease.
DR. W. E. BRIGGS thought that perhaps many of these cases in
which albumen was supposed to have been present, and which
subsequently recovered, might have been cases of myxuria and
not albuminuria. Nitric acid will often give a precipitate when
mucus is present.. "Was of the opinion that the new picric acid
test was much more delicate.