Dr. George Johnson, in _Br. Med. Jour._ for March 3d, gives the
histories of four cases of albuminuria which he believes were the result
of breathing sewer air. In addition to other diseases, the result of
drain poison, the author has met with several cases of albuminuria which
he believes can and does under continued exposure to the sewer poison,
result in incurable disorganization of the kidneys. He thinks that, in
the absence of other probable exciting causes of albuminuria, the
possibility of sewer poisoning should be constantly borne in mind. It is
needless to dilate upon the importance of discovering the exciting cause
of a disease so serious in its consequences as nephritis. In each of the
four cases cited, albuminuria and casts were found in the urine, and
blood in two of them. In each case defective drainage was proven, and in
two of the four an immediate improvement occurred on removing this
cause. One proved fatal from suppression of the urine.
The author suggests as an interesting point, that amongst the various
diseases resulting from drain poison, diphtheria is in a very large
proportion of cases associated with albuminuria.
It would be interesting to know whether a large proportion of cases of
diphtheria occurring in houses having defective plumbing suffer with
albuminuria, than in houses where no such defect exists. If these
observations are confirmed, we may learn from them something of the
cause of the great fatality of scarlet fever and diphtheria in houses
which contain defective drains.