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Latics 3 
XIX. Memoir on the Saccharine Dialetes. By Messrs. 
DupuyTREN and THENARD *. 
Tr has been long known that the human urine is so strangely 
altered in the disease called diabetes, that in place of being 
in asmall quantity and acrid, like that of a person in health, 
it becomes, on the contrary, saccharine and very abundant. 
It is only about thirty years, however, since the first ana- 
lyses were made of diabetic urine. Three causes retarded 
this investigation: on the one hand, the infrequency of the 
disease ; on the other, the uncertainty of the chemical ap+ 
paratus formerly employed ; and, thirdly, the neglect which 
animal chemistry has suffered until within these very few 
years. 
It was not sooner than 1778 that the existence of sugar 
in diabetic urine was demonstrated. This discovery, for 
which we are indebted to Caulcy, was established in 1791 
by Franck. It was, indeed, hinted at by Willis, at the be- 
ginning of the 17th century; and afterwards, in 1775, by 
Pool and Dobson. M. Caulcy, however, having only di- 
rected his attention to the saccharine substance alone, left 
a great deat undone. It was necessary to ascertain the 
other principles of diabetic urine, and particularly those 
which enter into common urine; and this was accomplished 
in 1808 by Messrs. Nicholas and Guendeville of Caen. It 
results from their researches that the urine of diabetic pa- 
tients does not contain a sensible quantity of wrea, or of uric 
acid; that the most sensible reagents scarcely indicate traces 
of phosphate and sulphate ; that it is impossible to discover 
a free acid in it; and, in short, that nothing is found except 
sugar in great quantity, and more or less marine salt. 
in the present memoir we purpose not only to. confirm 
the results we have cited, but in particular we shall com- 
municate, 
ist, The medical observations made by us upon the dia- 
betic patient whose urine we analysed. 
* From Annales de Chimie, tom, lix. p. 41. 
Vol. 26. No. 102. Nov.1806. G od, The 
