SECT. XXIX. 4. i. . ABSORBENTS- 245 



Intoxication he made a large quantity of water 5 this water had a. 

 flight yellow tinge, as might be expected iron a fm all admix- 

 ture of bile fecreted from the kidneys ; but if the whole of it 

 had pafled through the fanguiferous veflels, which were now re- 

 plete with bile (his whole (kin being as yellow as gold) would 

 not this urine alfo, as well as that he had made for weeks be- 

 fore, have been of a deep yellow ? Paper dipped in this water, 

 and dried, and ignited, {hewed evident marks of the prefence of 

 nitre, when the flame was blown out. 



IV. The Phenomena of the Diabetes explained, and of feme Diar- 

 rhoeas. 



THE phenomena of many difeafes are only explicable from 

 the retrograde motions of fome of the branches of the lymphat- 

 ic fyftem; as the great and immediatte flow of pale urine in the 

 beginning of drunkennefs ; in hyfteric paroxyfms ; from being 

 cxpofed to cold air ; or to the influence of fear or anxiety. 



Before we endeavour to illuftrate this do6lrine, by defcribing 

 the phenomena of thefe difeafes, we muft premife one circum- 

 flance ; that all the branches of the lymphatic fyftem have a cer- 

 tain fympathy with each other, inibmuch that when one branch 

 is ftimulated into unufual kinds or quantities of motion, fome 

 other branch has its motions either increafed, or decreafed, or 

 inverted at the fame time. This kind of fympathy can only be 

 proved by the concurrent teftimony of numerous facts, which 

 will be related in the courfe of the work. I (hall only add here, 

 that it is probable, that this fympathy does not depend on any 

 communication of nervous filaments, but on habit j owing to 

 the various branches of this fyftem having frequently been ftim- 

 ulated into action at the fame time, 



There are a thoufand inftances of involuntary motions aflbci- 

 ated in this manner ; as in the aft of vomiting, while the mo- 

 tions of the ftomach and cefopha^-us are inverted, the pulfations 

 of the arterial fyftem by a certain fympathy become weaker ; and 

 when the bowels or kidneys are ftimulated by poifon, a ftone, or 

 inflammation, into more violent action ; the ftomach and cefoph- 

 agus by fympathy invert their motions. 



i . When any one drinks a moderate quantity of vinous fpir- 

 it, the whole fyftem acts with more energy by confent with the 

 ftomach and inteftines, as is feen from the glow on the (kin, and 

 the increafe of ftrength and activity ; but when a greater quan- 

 tity of this inebriating material is drunkj at the fame time that 

 the ladleals are excited into greater action to abforb it ; it fre- 

 quently happens, that the urinary branch of abforbents, which is 



connected 



