922 Diabetes Mellitus. 



experiences in human practice the food-stuffs should be as 

 free as possible of albumin and table salt because the elimina- 

 tion of the latter and of the urea requires great amounts of 

 water in this disease. In true diabetes insipidus a limitation 

 of the water supply does not appear necessary, but it should 

 be carried out in tliose cases which are similar to diabetes but 

 must be classed with poMiria, which is always aggravated 

 after the free drinking of water (Leblanc, Cagnat). In horses, 

 for instance, the amount of drinking water should be reduced 

 to 20 to 2-1: liters per day. Finally, the animals must be kept 

 from work for 1 to 2 weeks after the symptoms of the disease 

 have disappeared. 



The drug treatment of diabetes insipidus promises no 

 results, although vasoconstricting remedies (Ergotin, Ext. 

 Hydrastis) have always been employed. 



Literature. Almy, Bull., 1899. 215. — Caguat, A. d'Alf., 1884. 168. — 

 Dammann, D. t. W., 1898. 125. — Gerhardt, Der Diabetes iiisip., Wien, 190(5. — 

 Haase, B. t. W., 1898. 109. — Hertwig, Mag., 1859. 487. — Holzmann, D. Z. 

 f. Tin., 1887. XIII. 197. — Mever, D. A. f. kl. M. 1905. LXXXIII. 1. — Pr. Mil. 

 \h., 1899-1901; 1906. — Schii'idelka, Monli., 1893. IV. 135. — Schlampp, D. Z. 

 f. Till., 1884. X. 133. — Siedaingrotzkv, S. B., 1878. 57; A. f. Tk., 1895. XXI. 

 467. — Stockfleth, Eep., 1874. 60. — A'eith, Kep., 1845. 261. 



3. Diabetes Mellitus. 



Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which the blood, 

 owing to peculiar changes in metabolism, contains an excess 

 of grape sugar which is eliminated unchanged by the kidneys, 

 so that the urine contains sugar either permanently, or at least 

 temporarily. 



The blood of healthy animals contains about 0.1% of suofar, and 

 this proportion is maintained with only slight variations, an excess 

 of sugar being promptly eliminated by the kidneys. By means of special 

 methods it is always possible to find traces of grape sugar in specially 

 heated large amounts of urine, particularly in cattle and sheep 

 (physiological glycosuria). Certain drugs or poisons (morphine, chloro- 

 form, ether, phloridzin, chromic acid, adrenalin, etc.), also certain acci- 

 dents to the organism (shock to the nervous system extensive convul- 

 sions, rabies, acute infectious bulbar paralysis, etc.) may even produce 

 a glycosuria which can be demonstrated with the usual methods. It 

 has not been determined Avhether an alimentary glycosuria (after the 

 absorption of very large amounts of sugar in the intestine) occurs 

 in otherwise healthy animals. All these conditions Avith transitory 

 elimination of sugar (glycosuria, mellituria) cannot be called diabetes 

 mellitus any more than the presence of milk sugar which appears in 

 the urine of nursing animals (lactosuria) after a sudden suppression 

 of the milk secretion, with particular frequency in the paresis of 

 parturition. 



History. The disease has long been known in human medicine 

 (Dobson and Pool having demonstrated the presence of grape sugar 

 in human urine in 1775), but was observed in animals in only com- 



