The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-12-22
MR.. BLAINE's mALADY,
He Is in the Last Stages oil Bright's
Disease.

He Is in the Last Stages oil Bright's
Disease.
Mr.. Biaine's case is best described in
the words of an old friend published in
the New York World of June q, 1891.
The diagnosis of his case then made public
was correct, except that, in giving the
results of a urinary test, by clerical
error the proportion of albumen was
given as 40 per cent. of the whole instead
OF 30 per cent. OF the solid contents. The
statement follows:
81 can speak with absolute certainty,
because there is no doubt about it. The
existence OF kidney trouble was first sus-
pected during Mr.. Blaine's visit to his
daughter, the late Mrs Coppinger, in
Indian Territory. 1t was announced then
that he was suffering from an attack OF
bronchitis. But the symptoms were so
peculiar that Mr.. KerenS, the well known
contractor of st. Louis, who is staucn
friend OF Mr.. Blaine, took an eminent
physician on a special train and fastened
to his side. Indications were then dis
covered of the commencement OF the prl-
mary stage OF Brght's disease. Whether
MIR. Blaine was informed of the danger
which threatened him at that time do
not know. Since that time the progress
OF the disease has been slow, but certain .
1t is now in the second and passing to the
third stage.
ssYou asked how 1 was able to speak so
positively on this point. | will tell you.
There is only one sure method Of deter
mining the presence OF Bright's disease,
and that is by a chemical and microscopic
ANIMATION of the urine. The symptoms
are otherwise indefinite. Sometimes
there is no pain whatever In the region OF
the loins. Headache, indigestion, nau-
sea, vomiting and swelling OF the ankles
are frequently noticed. With the excep-
ton of the latter symptom, the others
may scarcely be recognized. The heart
and the lungs are sympathetically az
fected. The heart may become enlarged
and the bronchial tubes may display "a
tendency towards Inflammation. This
last symptom has distressed the secretary
of state frequently. The accurate dag
nosis, therefore, until the disease is adj
vanced to an extreme stage, is only ascer-
tanned by testing the urine. These are
almost the exact words q a specialist:
81 am prepared to give the results of a
urinary test made in the case of Mr..
Blaine. Here it is on this card:
Observation-Disclosures
ssKeaction with litmus paper)-Alka-
line.
"Specific gravity-1, OO9.
ssAlbumen-AbOut 40 per cent.
microscopic examination = Granular
casts. Large hyaline casts. Small hya-
line casts.
''Urea-Scarcely traceable.
est will only be necessary for any edu-
Gated physician to read the above in order
that he may speak with positiveness as tC
the nature of the malady of the patient
whose excrementitious fluid has been un-
der examination. He will tell you thai
the quantity of urine in Bright's disease
| is at first increased and afterwards be-
comes diminished. The normal quantity
( is from forty to fifty fluid ounces The
reaction is of but little value. The spe-
cific gravity in health is from 1.012 Il
! .O3O. In chron Bright's disease the
quantity is always diminished. The
presence of albumen is almost always {
certain symptom, but it is found in the
course of other diseases, especially II
fevers.
s'The signs which admit of no variation
are the granular and hyaline casts of tn
/ little M ccoscopic tubules of the kidneys
which are thrown off by the degenerativ
process of the disease. The hyaline casts
pathologically speaking, arise from al
emulation OF the brinous fluid in tn
renal canals with subsequent coagulatiol
of the fihrln.
.sGranular casts are formed by chang
in the exudation in the secrebing tubes o
the kidneys by degeneration OF tn
epithelium lining the tubes. Granula
and hyaline casts always indicate chroni
disease OF the kidneys.
1.-THE indications are that Secretar
Blaine has reached the period OF his dis
order when the second period may Sool
pass to the third. ~