SICT. XXIX. 5. RETROGRADE ABSORBENTS. 



but great third is at the fame time induced, for as 

 no water is abforbed from the atmofphere to dilute 

 the chyle and blood, the la&eals and other abfor- 

 bent vefiels, which have not loft their powers, are 

 excited into more conftant or more violent action, 

 to fupply this deficiency ; whence the urine be- 

 comes dill lefs in quantity, and of a deeper colour, 

 and turbid like the yolk of an egg, owing to a 

 greater abforption of its thinner parts. From this 

 ftronger action of thofe abforbents, which fiill re- 

 tain their irritability, the fat is alfo abforbed, and 

 the whole body becomes emaciated. This increafed 

 exertion of fome branches of the lymphatics, while 

 others are totally or partially paralytic, is refembled 

 by what conftantly occurs in the hemiplagia ; when 

 the patient has loft the ufe of the limbs on one 

 fide, he is incefiantly moving thofe of the other ; 

 for the moving power, not having accefs to the 

 paralytic limbs, becomes redundant in thofe which 

 are not difeafed. 



The paucity of urine and thirft cannot be ex- 

 plained from a greater quantity of mucilaginous 

 fluid being depofited in the cellular membrane : for 

 though thefe fymptoms have continued many weeks, 

 or even months, this collection frequently does not 

 amount to more than very few pints. Hence alfo 

 the difficulty of promoting copious fweats in anafarca 

 is accounted for, as well as the great thirft, paucity 

 of urine, and lofs of fat ; (ince, when the cutane- 

 ous branch of abforbents is paralytic, or nearly fo, 

 there is already too fmall a quantity of aqueous 

 fluid in the blood : nor can thefe torpid cutaneous 

 lymphatics be readily excited into retrograde mo- 

 tions. 



Hence likewife we under ftand, why in the af- 

 cites, and fome other dropfies, there is often no 

 thirft, and no paucity of urine ; in thefe cafes 



the 



