578 DIABETES. [Book ii. 



apparently in the body generally, whatever be the diet used. 

 The presence of the metal in the hepatic cell seems to prevent 

 the cell-substance from manufacturing glycogen either from 

 carbohydrate material brought to it, or out of its own sub- 

 stance. As another kind of converse we may also state that 

 the administration of glycerine, especially through the alimen- 

 tary canal, diminishes the effect of the diabetic puncture, or of 

 morphia or other poisoning, in hurrying on the hepatic store 

 of glycogen into sugar, and thus diminishes the sugar in the 

 urine ; the presence of the glycerine in the hepatic cell appears 

 to be in some way a hindrance to the conversion of the glyco- 

 gen into sugar. Now glycerine injected into the alimentary 

 canal of a normal animal leads to an increase of glycogen in 

 the liver ; and the view very naturally suggests itself that .this 

 increase arising from the glycerine is to be explained by the 

 glycerine inhibiting in some way a normal conversion of the 

 glycogen store into sugar which is continually going on, and 

 thus increasing for the time that store. 



