This substance, as will be seen from the tables I have given, is included among the nitrogenous bodies that are readily excreted by nephritic cases. This is perfectly correct, for even in cases in which the excretion of urea is very much reduced, the excretion of ammonia is approximately normal. The amount of ammonia eliminated is, as we know, dependent on the amount of acids that circulate in the blood and that are intended to be excreted. Abnormal acidity of the blood, (acidosis, as in diabetes and fever, for instance), does not as a rule seem to occur in nephritis. Possibly in some cases there is acidosis, for I have occasionally encountered cases of severe nephritis in which the values for ammonia were exceedingly high (1.o to 1.5 g. pro die) in the prodromal stage of uremia. In view of the fact that ammonia is so readily eliminated, even in advanced stages of renal insufficiency, we might almost be tempted to administer acids, for we know that the administration of acids increases the excretion of ammonia; in this way we would aid the elimination of a portion of the nitrogen that would otherwise have to be excreted in the form of urea. The only acids that would be available for this purpose would be mineral acids, chiefly hydrochloric acid. As far as I know nothing has so far been published on this subject. I have only studied one case of chronic parenchymatous nephritis in this regard. The patient received daily doses of 100 drops of dilute hydrochloric acid (German Pharmacopeia). The excretion of am monia was increased from an average of 0.78 to 1.97 g., but the excretion of urea did not decrease correspondingly. As the total amount of nitrogen excreted in the urine was 6 to 7 g. the additional excretion of 1 g. of nitrogen, while hydrochloric acid was being administered, was of some value. Organic acids with the exception possibly of the acids of the benzine series (and these are not without danger), are not available for this purpose for the reason that they do not reach the kidneys in the form of acids but are oxidized to water and carbon dioxide very soon after they enter the blood. This also applies to acetic acid, and I will add a few words concerning this substance.