Fill an ordinary test-tube half full of urine, and add a half dram or more of potassium ferrocyanid solution (1 to 20). After thoroughly mingling the urine and the reagent, add a few drops of acetic acid (50 per cent.); then pause for a half minute and note the change. If albumin be present it will come plainly into view within half a minute to a minute, in the form of white, milk-like opacity, diffused throughout the whole contents of the tube. The above method precipitates all modifications of albumin. On the other hand, it gives no reaction with phosphates, peptones, mucin, the alkaloids, urates, or the pure acids. The reaction that sometimes occurs on long standing between the acid and potassium ferrocyanid should not be mistaken for albumin. The albuminous reaction appears within half a minute or so, while the other occurs only after ten minutes to half an hour, and is mingled with more or less blue coloration.
TO OBTAIN A 24-HOUR SPECIMEN OF URINE.
Begin early in the morning. Throw away the first urination. Save all further urinations for the next twenty-four hours. For instance: Patient urinates at 6 a.m. This first urination is thrown away, or saved for an a.m. specimen if required and patient’s bladder is empty. Save all succeeding urinations for the next twenty-four hours, at the end of which time (6 a.m.) request the patient to urinate, and save the last urination also, to complete the specimen. This gives us twenty-four hours’ secretion.
The addition of solution of formaldehyd (fʒij) to a twenty-four hour specimen of urine will preserve it, and prevent fermentation before the analysis is made.
INFANT FEEDING.
1. If the bowel movements are curdy, we may take it as an indication of an excess of proteids.
2. Sour vomiting often indicates too much fat
3. Stools that are very watery but without curds may result from too much sugar or too much fat.
4. Vomiting of hard, curdy masses may indicate too much proteids.
5. Should the child seem to do well on its food in every way except that it does not gain in weight, it may be that the sugar is too low.