A treatise on the formation, constituents, and extraction of the urinary calculus. Being the essay for which the Jacksonian prize for the year 1833 was awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons in London / by John Green Crosse.

  • Cross, John, 1790-1850.
Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the formation, constituents, and extraction of the urinary calculus. Being the essay for which the Jacksonian prize for the year 1833 was awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons in London / by John Green Crosse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF URINARY CALCULI. By the labours of modern philosophers, our knowledge of the chemical composi- tion of urinary concretions has become so complete, that the discovery of new compounds is scarcely to be expected; and the only chance of further improve- ment in this department is to be sought for by directing our enquiries into a new channel. Some of our ablest chemists, and amongst them the late Dr. Marcet, frequently analyzed the exterior surface only of urinary calculi, without examining the interior; the account, sometime since published, of a very large collection of calculi removed by cystotomy was derived from such a superficial examination, and consequently a considerable proportion of triple-phosphate and fusible calculi wras reported; in many instances, however, and more especially under the able hands of Dr. Yelloly and Dr. Prout, calculi have been minutely examined, layer by layer, after a section, affording us a more valuable result, and shewing the greater prevalence of lithic acid and oxalate of lime. The analysis of every part of a calculus is of use; but the nucleus is calculated to excite most interest, because its analysis bears so directly upon the prevention of the disease; nearly all calculi situated in the bladder are formed upon nuclei of smaller calculi, originating in this organ or descending from the kidney, and of a size that would allow of their passing away by the urethra; hence it follows, that calculi of small size, such as often pass away spontaneously, resemble the nuclei of larger calculi, and are more deserving of being examined chemically than the surfaces of calculi found in the bladder after death, or removed by cystotomy. Entertaining this opinion, I began several years ago to collect all urinary concre-