34:2 GENERAL DISORDERS OF NUTRITION. 



but very little of them. Bouchardat has proved, by the comparison 

 of the articles of food which a diabetic may take without prejudice, 

 that it is quite possible to keep up a sufficient degree of variety in the 

 character of the meals. The list of articles which he permits is about 

 as follows : All sorts of meats roasted, stewed, and even dressed with 

 spices, but not with flour ; fresh water fish and marine fish, in eating 

 which the want of bread is less felt than in eating meat ; oysters, mus- 

 cles, crabs, lobsters, etc. ; eggs in all the forms known to the culinary 

 art ; rich, good cream, but no milk ; of the vegetables, spinach, arti- 

 chokes, asparagus, green beans, the different varieties of cabbage ; of 

 the salads, water-cresses, endives, lettuce ; of fruits, strawberries and 

 peaches. Although the loss of sugar is augmented by very free sup- 

 ply of liquid, and decreased by a privation of it, yet it is not advisable 

 to forbid the patient to quench his thirst. Griesinger, who has ex- 

 perimented upon this subject also, concludes that there is no rapid 

 or considerable decrease in the loss of sugar until the thirsting has 

 been pushed to the point of general disturbance of the system ; and, as 

 such a condition can only be endured for a very short time, he allows 

 the patient just enough liquid to slake his thirst. Besides spring- 

 water, acidulated water may be allowed as a beverage, as well as 

 coffee, well-fermented beer, and wine, if not too new, especially red 

 wine. 



Inasmuch as diabetic persons are very liable to take cold, and 

 show a predisposition to pneumonia, and the like, directions regarding 

 their clothing must also be laid down, and especially must they be 

 urged to wear flannel next the skin. 



Besides these dietetic rules, under the conscientious observation 

 of which diabetes, although incurable, is often tolerated for a great 

 length of time without appreciable decline (as can be proved by many 

 well-attested instances), there are certain medicinal remedies whose 

 effects in diabetes are very decided. In private practice, no credit 

 should be given to the claims of any drug based upon the bare asser- 

 tion that it has benefited or cured a case of diabetes, particularly when 

 it has been known to fail in other instances. But even those remedies 

 which only exert a slight influence upon the course of the disease 

 (proved, however, by accurate and continuous measurement of the 

 urine, sugar, weight of the body, etc.) should be urgently recom- 

 mended to private patients by then* physicians. At present, however, 

 the alkaline carbonates are the only medicines whose beneficial action 

 upon diabetes can be claimed with certainty. In Griesinger*s clinic, 

 the exhibition of doses of bicarbonate of soda effected a distinct al- 

 though slight improvement in the disease. The equally well-estab- 

 lished success of the springs of Carlsbad and Vichy have been much 



