246 RETROGRADE Sect. XXIX. 4. z„ 



connected with the la£leals by many anaftomofes, inverts its mo- 

 tions, and a great quantity of pale unanimalized urine is drt 

 charged. » By this wife contrivance too much of an unnecefTary 

 fluid is prevented from entering the circulation — This may be 

 called the drunken diabetes, to diilinguifh it from the other tem- 

 porary diabetes, which occur in hyileric diieafes, and from con- 

 tinued fear or anxiety. 



2. If this idle ingurgitation of too much vinous fpirit be dai- 

 ly pracHfed, the urinary branch of abforbents at length gains a 

 habit of inverting its motions, whenever the lacleals are much 

 ftimulated ; and the whole or a great part of the chyle is thus 

 daily carried to the bladder without entering the circulation, and 

 the body becomes emaciated. This is one kind of chronic dia- 

 betes, and may be diftinguifhed from the others by the tafle and 

 appearance of the urine ; which is fweet, and of the colour of 

 whey, and may be termed the chyliferous diabetes. 



3. Many children have a iimilar deposition of chyle in their 

 urine, from the irritation of worms in their interlines, which 

 {Simulating the mouths of the lacteals into unnatural action, the 

 urinary branch of the abforbents becomes inverted, and carries 

 part of the chyle to the bladder : part of the chyle alfo has been 

 carried to the iliac and lumbar glands, of which inftances are 

 recorded by Haller, t. vii. 225. and which can be explained on 

 no other theory : but the directions of the lymphatic fyflem of 

 the human body, which have yet been publiihed, are not fufli- 

 ciently extenfive for our purpofe ; yet if we may reafon from 

 comparative anatomy, this tranflation of chyle to the bladder is 

 much illuftrated by the account given of this fyftem of vefiels in 

 a turtle, by Mr. lijwfon, who obferved, "That the lacteals near 

 the root of the meientery anaftomofe, fo as to fo' m a net-work, 

 from which feveral large branches go into fome confiderable 

 lymphatics lying near the fpine ; and which can be traced al- 

 moll to the anus, and particularly to the kidneys. Philof- 

 Tranf. v. ^9. p. 199 — Enquiries, p. 74. 



4. At the fame time that the urinary branch of abforbents, in 

 the beginning of diabetes, is excited into inverted action, the 

 ceikilar branch is excited by the fympathy above mentioned, in- 

 to more energetic action ; and the fat, that was before depofited, 

 is reabforbed and thrown into the blood veiTeis •, where it floats, 



miflaken for chyle, till the late experiments of the inge- 

 nious Mr. Hewfon demonftrated it to be fat. 



This appearance of what was miflaken for chyle in the blood, 



which was drawn from thefe patients, and the obftructed liver, 



1 very frequently accomp \ this difeafe, feems to have 



j Dr. Mead to fufpeel the diabetes was owing to a defect of 



fanguification \ 



