Abstract
Bright and a number of subsequent observers have described a diminution of proteins in the plasma of some persons suffering from albuminuria and edema; and later it has also been found that the decrease occurs chiefly in the plasma albumin (Epstein) the globulin not being diminished.
We have determined the albumin and globulin over varying periods of time in the plasmas of a number of nephritics by the recent method of Howe, with the results indicated below. The cases were classified as glomerular nephritis, nephrosis, and nephrosclerosis according to Volhard and Fahr.
In glomsrular nephritis a return to a normal total protein content has been observed in some cases, but a return to a normal albumin: globulin ratio has not yet been observed in any of our cases.
In one typical nephrosis patient a great loss of edema was observed without any change in plasma proteins, but after the edema had disappeared the total proteins began to rise towards the normal. The case of nephrosis with normal total content at the first examination was already ccrnvalescent.
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