The Kidney
In the back of the abdomen lies the kidney, the main portion of our urinary system, designed to excrete from the body poisonous wastes along with excesses of water, salt, acids and other body chemicals.
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In health, the kidneys work silently and call no attention to their important functions, but disease causes them to cry out in the language of pain, fever, and bloody urine.
Fig. 102. The kidney may be seen in the posterior part of the abdomen if the intestine is removed. The kidney has six times enough function to support life, but total loss of kidney activity means uremia and death.
Kidney pain is most often felt in the back just under the lowest ribs, possibly extending around and down into the testicles. It varies from the mild ache of a slight infection to a knife-like horror in serious infection or in passage of a kidney stone.
Fever in a severe kidney infection often reaches 103 with severe chills, while a smouldering, long-standing infection may produce only a half-degree fever in the afternoons. When fever is due to kidney difficulties, urinary and other kidney symptoms are also present to help identify it.
Blood in the urine in minute amounts is usually not visible. In slightly larger quantities, however, it begins appearing as a smokey rust, and darkens with greater quantities to finally assume the color of blood itself. Passing blood may be only an isolated instance and perhaps entirely painless, but it is always of great significance and should be thoroughly and quickly investigated.
The kidney structure embraces a tremendous number of small blood vessels and any disease of the blood vessels, therefore, also involves the kidneys. This is particularly true of high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and diabetes.
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