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From this table it will be seen that the second operation is followed by a great increase in the amount of urine excreted, and also by a large increase in the output of urea. The increase in the urinary water, however, is greater than the increase in the urea, although the latter, as seen above, is greatly augmented.

This condition of polyuria is accompanied by great wasting.

Thus the weight of Dog No. 6 fell from 11 lbs. to 8 lbs. in 50 days.

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This wasting is rapid in its course, and is not materially checked by a liberal diet, when the animal's appetite will admit of it. The appetite frequently fails somewhat, but the animals will eat meat in large quantities to within a short time of their death, although they refuse dog biscuit. There is also great thirst, and this, no doubt, is in close relation with the hydruria. When the polyuria is fully established, the rectal temperature falls, so that ultimately it may be as low as 97° F., or even 95° F., the normal temperature varying between 101° F. and 102° F. This condition of polyuria leads to a more or less rapid death; all the animals in Table II either died, or were killed because moribund, in from two to six weeks after the second operation.

The following table gives the results in the remaining six cases out of the ten rapidly fatal cases:—

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In all these cases it is seen that the amount of urine excreted after the second operation is very large, and in all the cases where the amount of urine was also determined before the operation it is found that the latter daily quantity is far less. In only four out of the six cases was the daily output of urea investigated both before and after the operation. In Dog No. 5 the urea was apparently decreased in amount, but in reality it must have been greatly increased, as, owing to a mistake and absence from the laboratory, the urines, after the operation, were put aside for several days, and only tested when putrefaction had taken place; hence the real amount was probably far greater than 8 grams. In the other three cases, the output of urea was either slightly diminished or slightly increased; this result is of considerable interest from the fact that these dogs ate little or nothing after the operation. Thus, No. 22 passed 5 grams of urea daily with a diet of 230 grams of dog biscuit; after the operation 5.5 grams of urea were excreted, but no food was taken, the animal refusing to eat the biscuit.

In No. 28, 9 grams of urea were excreted per diem with 100 grams of meat and 100 grams of biscuit daily; after the operation 8 grams of urea, with the ingesta diminished to 40 grams of meat and 20 grams of biscuit daily. Similarly, in No. 14, a liberal allowance of meat and biscuit were given and eaten before the operation, but after only small quantities of meat were eaten, and often none at all. The comparatively small quantity of urea excreted in these cases, when compared to the instances given in Table II, is not dependent upon any inability on the part of the fragment of kidney left to excrete urea. This is well shown by the following observation on No. 22. This dog, as just mentioned, excreted only 5.5 grams of urea per diem with no ingesta; but, on a diet of 200 grams of meat, the daily output of urea rose immediately to an average of 15 grams, and on some days as much as 19 grams were excreted by a fragment of kidney found on post-mortem examination to weigh only 10 grams. Hence, even in the cases where the urea is not absolutely largely increased, it is really increased when we remember that the ingesta are greatly diminished, and that the dog may pass as much, or even more, urea during a whole week with no food as the animal previously passed on a full diet, e.g., No. 22. In all six cases described in Table II the operation was followed by death in from one to four weeks.

It is to be noted that in all the ten cases summarised in Tables II and III, the total amount of kidney substance removed amounted to some three-fourths or more of the total kidney weight, with one exception, where only two-thirds was removed. In all these ten cases there were emaciation, hydruria, and polyuria, absolute or relative.

VOL. LI.

D

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