URINE. 301 



considerable amount of hippuric acid. The urine of a man 

 aged 18 years had a specific gravity of 1029-5, was pale, when 

 fresh, had a milky smell, and subsequently became acid. The 

 solid constituents amounted to 62*05, of which 58-15 were sugar. 

 Ether took up 0-187, which was chiefly hippuric acid. The 

 urine of a man aged 38 years was turbid, of a straw colour, 

 contained neither albumen, urea, or uric acid, had a specific 

 gravity of 1028-5, and contained 56-24 of solid constituents, of 

 which 50-9 were sugar. There were also found 0-31 of hippuric 

 acid, 0-169 of salts soluble in alcohol, 0-21 of water-extract, 

 0-39 of salts soluble in water, 0-31 of salts insoluble in water, 

 and 0*23 of mucus. 



An interesting case of diabetes in a girl aged 8 years was 

 observed by Cantin. 1 The urine which she discharged was of a 

 blue colour, and impregnated with sugar. The colouring matter 

 appeared to possess the properties of Prussian blue. 



Diabetic urine has been observed in children as well as in 

 adults, and during the period of puberty. 



The female sex is not exempt from this disease. 



It is impossible in the present state of our knowledge on this 

 subject to state with certainty in what part of the system the 

 sugar is formed, which is produced and excreted in such ex- 

 traordinary quantity. It is either directly formed in the chy- 

 lopoietic system or it is produced in the peripheral vascular 

 system, or it is generated by a morbid action of the cells of the 

 kidney, or finally its origin may be due to a combination of 

 these agencies. 



To decide this point satisfactorily, (and for the science of 

 medicine it is most important that it should be decided,) the 

 following points should first be established by experiments on a 

 sound and certain basis : 



(1.) Is the correspondence of the absolute diminution of the 

 urea with the absolute increase of the sugar, an invariable rule? 



(2.) May not the nitrogen be removed from the system in 

 some other way, probably in the form of ammonia-compounds ? 



(3.) Do the other secretions undergo a change, especially the 

 bile? 



(4.) Does the air which is exhaled from the lungs differ in 

 its composition from that which is expired by healthy persons? 



1 Jonm. de Chim. Med. vol. 9, p. 104. 



