lop at any time.

~Limiting the Work of the Kidneys.~--In both acute and chronic
nephritis, great effort must be put forth to relieve the tax upon the
kidneys and to stimulate their functioning power.

In other diseases, in which definite organs are involved, the
treatment consists chiefly of resting the affected parts (1) by
starvation, (2) by deflecting the work to other organs when it is
possible, chiefly by changing the diet until the disturbance is
overcome. This is generally effectual in most cases, as has been
specially demonstrated in the treatment of gastro-intestinal diseases.

~Problems to Be Considered.~--But in nephritis, there are other
problems to consider, which make it impossible to institute such a
treatment as will effect a perfect rest of the renal organs. The
kidneys represent the chief source whereby the waste products of the
body are eliminated. This waste consists not only of the end-products
of the nitrogenous foods ingested, but also the end-products of tissue
metabolism, which is the inevitable result of the wear and tear of
life. Hence, when the functions of the kidneys are disturbed, these
products, often toxic in character, are retained instead of excreted.
Thus instead of forming normal constituents of the urine they find
their way into the general circulation, exerting a damaging effect
upon the tissues, especially of the kidneys with which they are
brought into such direct contact.

~Substances Difficult of Excretion.~--It has been proved that the
kidneys in nephritis find it difficult to excrete certain substances,
namely, urea, water, salts, and the purin bodies. Many authorities
claim that the uremia manifested in acute nephritis is the result of
the retention of end-products of the protein metabolism already
mentioned and that the edema is due to a like retention of water and
salts. The greatly diminished quantity of urine voided during the
acute attack would seem to prove this theory. Martin Fisher,[114]
however, claims the condition to be due to an acidulation of the
tissues with a consequent osmosis of water, and directs his treatment
to overcome this condition, not by restricting the quantity of water
and salt, as is generally practised, but by injecting a saline
solution into the body in large quantities with the effect of
increasing the flow of urine by concentrating the salt content of the
blood and therefore its osmotic power. The fluids are withdrawn from
the tissues, t