It is well known that definite anatomic lesions may occur in the kidney during the course of almost any of the acute infectious diseases. These lesions are usually, if not always, associated with clinical signs such as edema, scanty urine, the appearance of albumin in the urine, or abnormal findings in the sediment. The renal function as studied by various special tests is much impaired in these cases, as has been shown by Schwartz and McGill.1 Naturally such acute lesions in the kidney often result in permanent anatomic injury to the kidney, with or without disturbance in renal function.
In other cases during acute infections it is not uncommon to find albumin and casts in the urine without any other clinical evidence of renal disturbance. Also, during the course of an acute infection, there may be a decrease of substances normally found in the urine, such as the low chlorid