A STUDY OF SALT, NITROGEN AND WATER EXCRETION IN NEPHRITIS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION It has been known for a long time that in cases of chronic nephritis there is a disturbance in salt and nitrogen elimination. A number of observers have called attention to the fact that frequently the excretion of salt is disturbed proportionately more than that of nitrogen while occasionally the reverse is true. Several methods of studying these factors have been suggested. Von Monakow¹ placed patients on a standard diet containing each day approximately the same amounts of salt, nitrogen and water, to which were added on different days a definite amount of salt (10 gm. of sodium chlorid) or nitrogen (20 gm. of urea) ; the daily excretion of salt, nitrogen and water was quantitated and the effects of the added salt and nitrogen were noted by comparing the excretion after these were given with the previous daily excretion. This method