S*CT. XXIX. 4. RETROGRADE ABSORBENTS. 367 



vifcid urine ; his legs became lefs fwelled, and he 

 continued in better health for fome days afterwards, 

 I had not the opportunity to try if this urine would 

 coagulate over the fire, when part of it was evapo- 

 rated, which I imagine would be the criterion of 

 this kind of diabetes ; as the mucilaginous fluid de- 

 pofited in the cells and cyfts of the body, which 

 have no communication with the external air, feems 

 to acquire, by ftagnation, this property of coagula- 

 tion by heat, whieh the fecreted mucus of the in- 

 teftines and bladder do not appear to potTefs ; as I 

 have found by experiment; and if any one fhould 

 fuppofe this coagulable urine was feparated from the 

 blood by the kidneys, he may recollect that in the 

 moft inflammatory difeafes, in which the blood is 

 niofl replete or moft ready to part with the coagu- 

 lable lymph, none of this appears in the urine. 



9. Different kinds of diabetes require different 

 methods of cure. For the firft kind, or chylife- 

 rous diabetes, alter clearing the ftomach and in- 

 tedines, by ipecacuanha and rhubarb, to evacuate 

 any acid material, which may too powerfully ftimu- 

 late the mouths of the lacteals, repeated and large 

 dofes of tincture of cantharides have been much re- 

 commended. The fpeciftc flimulus of this medi- 

 cine, on the neck of the bladder, is likely to excite 

 the numerous abforbent veflels, which are fpread on 

 that part, into ftronger natural actions, and by that 

 means prevent their retrograde ones ; till, by per- 

 fifting in the ufe of the medicine, their natural 

 habits of motions might again be eftablifhed, 

 Another indication of cure, requires fuch medicines, 

 as by lining the inteflines with mucilaginous fub- 

 ftances, or with iuch as confifl of fmooth particles, 

 or which chemically deftroy the acrimony of their 

 contents, may prevent the too great action of the 

 inteftinal abiorbents. For this purpofe, I have 

 found the earth precipitated from afolution of alum, 



by 



