Retention
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Retention refers to the abnormal holding back of substances within bodily cavities or excretory ducts, such as urine, bile, or glandular secretions. It also denotes the physiological retention of substances during metabolism, representing a positive balance of that substance within the organism.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
RETENTION (from the French rétention - retention), the delay in cavities and excretory ducts of substances that under normal conditions are subject to excretion (retention of urine, bile, glandular excretates, etc.). In addition, retention is understood as the organism's holding back of one or another substance during the metabolic process, otherwise its positive balance. Thus, for example, in the study of nitrogen metabolism, if a grams of nitrogen are introduced into the organism, and b grams are excreted over the same period of time, then the difference a-b, when a is greater than b, will show a positive balance of nitrogen, or its retention.
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“Retention.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/retention/