Neubauer and Vogel’s Guide to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of urine
by Joe, 4th Year medical student at Exeter University
A Guide to the Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Urine (Fourth edition, 1863) is a comprehensive expert study that delves into the intricate process of examining urine and highlighting its diagnostic value.
We use urine testing for numerous reasons; looking for the presence of white cells and protein which indicate infection, detecting glucose and ketones which suggest diabetes, and many other purposes too. The urine colour chart sheds light on potential diagnoses and the colour of urine provides diagnostic clues still applicable to modern day practice.
The text details how odour, appearance, colour, and even taste provided clinicians with significant information, and it is very interesting to see how the fundamental principles of what they were looking for are still used today, with more refined techniques. To take one example, the ‘sweet taste’ of patient’s urine was used to diagnose diabetes; today, we still look for urinary glucose but with a more refined method of urine dipstick testing.