304 THE SECRETIONS: 



desire for drink, and at the same time exerts a peculiar influence 

 upon the nerves of the lymphatic system, exciting them to 

 extraordinary activity. 



This activity of the lymphatic system, when associated with 

 an excessive absorption from all the secreting surfaces of the 

 body causes the premature elimination of raw and unassimilated 

 chyle, which, not being adequate to the formation of blood, 

 must be again removed from it. When we consider what an 

 extraordinary quantity of sugar is carried off, even in those pa- 

 tients who are restricted to animal food, we cannot doubt that 

 the sugar is formed from the protein-compounds, 1 and in all pro- 

 bability, future and more accurate analyses of the urine, the bile, 

 and the expired air, will enable us to understand in what manner 

 the nitrogen is removed from the system, a point upon which 

 we are at present in the dark. For although we can well con- 

 ceive the possibility of the protein-compounds being, under 

 peculiar circumstances, resolved into sugar of grapes, and cer- 

 tain nitrogenous compounds similar to protein itself, yet these 

 latter must be capable of being detected. 



Periodic symptoms have been occasionally observed in diabetes 

 mellitus. 



A physician in Berlin has a patient who, at certain times of 

 the year, had periodical attacks of diabetes mellitus, which after 

 continuing for some time, and with the application of proper 

 diet, would disappear: although the amount of sugar which was 

 excreted during these attacks was by no means inconsiderable, 

 the patient did not exhibit that meagerness which usually suc- 

 ceeds a prolonged continuance of the disease ; on the contrary, 

 he became corpulent, and complained of no disturbance of his 

 general health. 



Diabetes insipidus. 



Under the term " diabetes insipidus" are included seve- 

 ral diseased states, in which the urinary secretion is very 

 much increased, but where the urine contains no sugar, either 

 sweet or insipid, which is capable of fermentation. Willis 



1 [Budge's views on this subject may be seen in my Report on the recent progress 

 of Animal Chemistry, in vol. 2 of Ranking's Half-yearly Abstract.] 



