The therapeutic results in the treatment of pyelocystitis are still far from satisfactory. Alkalinization of the urine is usually effective in the treatment of infections of the urinary tract of infants and children, although its mode of action is still practically unknown. In an attempt to throw some light on this question, the first three of the following studies were undertaken.
1. THE USE OF ALKALIS IN INFECTIONS OF THE BLADDER IN RABBITS
Sterile urine was obtained by catheterization from eleven rabbits, weighing from 900 to 1,200 gm. The rabbits were then placed on a diet consisting of oats and bread with a small amount of cabbage or lettuce until the urine became strongly acid. After a week the entire series was injected intracystically with 10 c.c. of a mixture containing equal amounts of 5 per cent, starch solution and a twenty-four hour culture of colon bacilli in dextrose brain