CLASS I. 3 OF IRRITATION. 141 



[y feels a fulnefs about the prrecordia, \vith difficult refpira- 

 I, and fymptoms fimilar to thofe ofhyfteria. Perhaps a pre- 

 vious defect of abforption takes place in ibme part of the body in 

 thofe hyfteric cafes, which are relieved by a copious difcharge of 

 pale urine. See Diabetes explained at large, Section XXIX. 4. 



A difcharge of blood fometimes attends the diabetes, which 

 was occafionally a fymptom of that difeafe in Mr. Brindley, the 

 great navigable canal maker in this country. Which may be 

 accounted for by the communication of a lymphatic branch with 

 the gaftric branch of the vena portarum, as difcovered by J. F. 

 Meckel. See Section XXVII. 2. 



M. M. Alum. Earth of alum. Cantharides. Calomel. 

 Bark. Steel. Refin. Opium. Seq Sett. XXIX. 4. 



Since the publication of the firft edition of this work, I have 

 feen two patients affefted with diabetes, who were both of them 

 between fixty and feventy years old, and had formerly lived rath- 

 er freely, though very temperately latterly for many years. The 

 water they made had not been accurately meafured or evapora- 

 ted ; but one of them obferved that his terrier bitch lapped his 

 urine in large quantities, and preferred it much to common water; 

 whence he concluded, it muft contain fome nutritious matter. 



They both complained of thirft, and had drunk two or three 

 times as much as ufual, during the time they had been affected 

 with the diabetes ; which was about four months in one, and 

 about three in the other. As I efteemed thefe cafes to be ow- 

 ing to the patients fwallowing more fluid than could be fo hafti- 

 ly taken into the circulation, and that therefore a part of it was 

 conveyed to the bladder by the retrograde action of the lymphat- 

 ics, as in the beginning of intoxication ; I prevailed on them to 

 drink no more than their ufual quantity, or lefs ; and both thefe 

 mild cafes of diabetes ceafed immediately by this fimple treat- 

 ment of them. 



A (imilar event fe^ms to have exifted in the two cafes of dia- 

 betes firlt published by Dr. Rollo ; on thofe days the patients 

 drank but little, the quantity of urine was not more than natural. 

 Both from thefe cafes, and from others related by Dr. Rollo, it 

 appears, that when the patient lived on Animal food, lefs faccha- 

 rine matter was detected in the urine, and alfo that the quanti- 

 ty of the urine abated j the former of thefe circumftances is read- 

 ily accounted for, as vegetable materials are probably more co- 

 pioufly convertible into fugar, either chemically or by the power 

 of digeftion, than animal materials ; and the latter feems proba- 

 bly owing to the patients drinking lefs in quantity, when they 

 were retrained from beer and milk, and were allowed only broth 

 in their (K 



In 



