the vessel, which should be kept covered, and not allowed to stand in
a warm room. Unless these details are conscientiously observed,
putrefaction may take place and vitiate the analysis the physician
wishes to make. The precise amount of urine which the kidneys excrete
in twenty-four hours will be determined as follows: At a convenient
time, for example at 8 A.M., empty the bladder and throw the urine
away; this marks the beginning of the observation. Subsequently, save
all the urine passed during the day and night, and finally at 8
o'clock the next morning empty the bladder and add this urine to that
previously collected. The total amount, thus collected, should be
measured.

It is unnecessary to send all the urine to the physician; six ounces,
somewhat less than half a pint, will be enough. But the physician
should know what the total amount was found to be; therefore, a
record of the measurement, the date, and the patient's name should
accompany the sample. If limited to a single fact about the urine, it
would be most helpful to know the amount passed during the twenty-
four hours. In this way, as I have already pointed out, the patient
herself may derive valuable information, for if the urine is scanty
in amount--that is, less than a quart--she should drink more water.

Unscrupulous newspaper advertisements alarm people through incorrect
statements about trouble with the kidneys. For example, they declare
that a sediment in the urine is a sign of disease; but that is false.
The mere act of cooling sometimes causes substances to crystallize
out of perfectly normal urine. Or, putrefactive changes which
frequently take place after the urine has stood for a time may cause
some of its normal constituents to be precipitated. A sediment,
either white, pink, or yellow, may indicate that the urine is too