Until about fifteen years ago management of infections of the urinary tract was carried out in an empirical fashion. The patient who complained of the usual symptoms of such infections consulted a physician and was given a prescription on the basis of his complaint, and no consideration was given to the type or degree of infection present. Little or no attention was paid to co-existing pathologic conditions. Fortunately, due to the advances that have been made in this field in the past fifteen years, present methods of treatment are much more scientific and results obtained in treatment of these infections are more satisfactory. The early work of Scholl, Janney, Clark, Helmholz and many others has shown the importance of proper bacteriologic study of the urine. If facilities for making cultures of the urine are not available or their use is not practicable, the use of Gram's stain is of the