BLOOD. 



327 



It was of a very dark colour aud of a tolerably thick con- 

 sistency. 



Under the microscope the blood-corpuscles appeared hacked 

 at the edges, as if the capsules were partially destroyed, and 

 many fat-vesicles were seen. 



The blood was very rich in albumen, in fat, and in urea. 

 The fixed salts, especially the chlorides, were increased,^ and the 

 fibrin appeared to be beneath the normal standard. There was 

 no trace of bilipha3in.] 



II. SUGAR IN THE BLOOD: MELIT^MIA. 



The blood in diabetes has been found by several observers, 

 and in one instance by myself, to contain a larger proportion of 

 solid constituents than healthy blood : others, as Lecanu and 

 Henry, state that the amount is smaller. According to the 

 latter, the quantity of blood-corpuscles is diminished, while 

 others assert that they are increased. The fibrin remains at 

 about the normal quantity. Hollo was, I believe, the first who 

 proved the presence of sugar in the blood during diabetes. 

 Gueudeville,2 Vauquelin, Segalas,^ WoUaston, Henry and 

 Soubeiran, could not detect it. Bouchardat,'* however, directs 

 attention to the important consideration that the presence of 

 sugar in the blood can only be incontestably proved when ve- 

 nesection has been performed two or three hours after dinner, 

 and that if blood is drawn in the morning, no traces of it can 

 be found : I have corroborated this observation. 



I have analysed the blood in three cases of diabetes. The 

 sugar was sought for in the manner described in page 185. 



Analysis 41. Analysis 42, Analysis 43. 

 Water 



Solid constituents 

 Fibrin 

 Fat . 

 Albumen 

 Globulin 

 Hsematin 

 Sugar 

 Extractive matters and salts 



' In consequence of the torpidity of the lurinary secretion. 



^ Annal. de Chimie, vol. 44, p. 45. 



^ Journal de Chimie Medicale, vol. 1, p. 1. 



^ Revue Medic. 1839, p. 321. 



