French National hi/l'itule, 279 



MEDICINE. 



Chemical and MeJkal Experiments on the Diabetes McUitus. 

 Life, that phvfical, mechanical, and chemical procefs, fo 

 complex, exhibits in its aberrations, as in its perfea acconi- 

 plKhnient, phjcuo.nena uhich are as much interelhng to the 

 philofopher as the phyfician. It is under this double point 

 of view that C. Nicolas, alTociate member of the Inltitute, 

 and profefior of chcmiftry in the central fchool of Calvados, 

 and Dr. Gucdevilk, have confidered the diabetes mellUus, or 

 the tthvfiiria faccharina. , . , r i 



The prefence of the faccharine matter, which, for a long 

 time, was found only in the fugar cane {Aru?ido/acchariJera, 

 Linn.), has, by the labours of modern chemids, been dil- 

 covered not only in many other vegetable lubltances, fuch as 

 the mallow, the juice of the maple, beet-root &c. but al o 

 in the mineral king..lom, where C. Vauquchn has proved its 

 exiltence by his analyfis of the emerald and aigue-marme. 

 Some produas of th'c analyfis of milk had fliown an ana- 

 logy between it and iugar. Dr. WilHs remarked, that, in 

 the'morbid afleaion in queftion, the firlt [ymptoni ot winch 

 is a fuperabundant evacuation of urine, this fluid allumed a 

 fvveet faccharine quality, inltead of the acrid and pungent 

 favour which it has in general. r f a •- 



C. Nicolas and Dr. Gucdeville, m the courfe of their 

 praaice, having met with patients attacked by diabetes, un- 

 dertook a comparative analyfis of the uruie voided .n the dia- 

 betic fiate and in that of health. They alcertained bv care- 

 ful experiments, the cxiftence of the mucous iacchanne 

 matter in the former: they extraaed from it acetous acid 

 and alcohol, while in the fecond it is not fufceptible ot fer- 

 mentation, either vinous or acid. 



The memoir of C. Nicolas and Dr Gucdevd e, which 

 may be confidered as a complete treatife on the diabetes mel- 

 litus, contains a hifiory of the caufes aicribed to this oiieale, 

 and the means employed to combat it iince the days ot liip- 

 pocrates to the prelent time; and an cxaa defcnplK.n o the 

 fymptoms it exhibits at its ditferent ftages ; the principa re- 

 fultsof their important labour on this difeafe, oh ervations 

 of which would be lefs rare were it not for the ncgligeiicc ot 

 many phyficiaus, who commit into the hai.ds ot quacks ana 

 urine doctors the unfortunate patients attack-cd by it. 



The principal cauie of the diabetes melhtus, which fecnis 

 to be nu.a frequc'l "^ countries wliere cyder, «-; '"l" "/» 

 that kind, is drunk, is a fpafniodic and couiumal dcMauon 



b 4 



