64 



porary sweetness of the urine often occurs after a hearty meal on 

 starchy food, but this is due altogether to the superabundant supply of 

 the sugar-forming food, lasts for a few hours only, and has no patho- 

 logical significance. In many cases of fatal glycosuria the liver is 

 found to be enlarged, or at least congested, and it is found that the dis- 

 order can be ijroduced experimentally by agencies which produce an 

 increased circulation through the liver. Thus Bernard produced gly- 

 cosuria by pricking the oblong medulla at the base of the brain close 

 to the roots of the pneumogastric nerve, which happens to be also the 

 nerve center (vaso-motor) which presides over the contractions of the 

 minute blood-vessels. The pricking and irritation of this center leada 

 to congestion of the liver and the excessive production of sugar. Irri- 

 tation carried to this i^oint through the pneumogastric nerve causes 

 saccharine urine, and, in keeping with this, disease of the pancreas has 

 been found in this malady, the irritation being conveyed thence to the 

 brain through the pneumogastric nerve and reflected to the liver through 

 the vasomotor nerves. The same result follows the reflection of irrita- 

 tion from other sources, as from difterent ganglia (corpora striata, optic 

 thalami, pons, cerebellum, cerebrum) of the brain. Similarly it is induced 

 by interruption of the nervous control along the vaso motor tracts, as 

 in destruction of the upper or lower cervical sympathetic ganglion, by 

 cutting the nervous branch connecting these two, in injury to the spiual 

 marrow in the interval between the brain and the second or fourth dorsal 

 vertebra, or in disease of the cceliac plexus, which directly presides 

 over the liver. Certain chemical poisons also cause saccharine urine, 

 notably woorara, strychnia, morphia, phosphoric acid, alcohol, ether, 

 chloroform, quiuia, ammonia, and arsenic. 



The symptoms are ardent thirst and profuse secretion of a pale urine 

 of a high density (1.060 and upward), rapid loss of condition, scurfy, un- 

 thrifty skin, costiveness or irregularity of the bowels, indigestion, and 

 the presence in the urine of a sweet principle, grape-sugar or inosite, or 

 both. This may be most promptly detected by touching the tip of the 

 tongue with a drop. Sugar may be detected simply by adding a tea- 

 spoonful of liquid yeast to 4 ounces of the urine and keeping it lightly 

 stopped at a temperature of 70° to 80° F., for twelve hours, when 

 the sugar will be found to have been changed into alcohol and carbon 

 dioxide. The loss of density will give indication of the amount of sugar 

 transformed; thus a density of 1.035 in a urine which was formerly l.OGO 

 would indicate about 15 grains of sugar to the fluid ounce. 



Inosite or muscle-sugar, frequently present in the horse's urine, and 

 even replacing the glucose, is not fermentable. Its presence may be 

 indicated by its sweetness and the absence of fermentation, or by Gal- 

 lois' test. Evaporate the suspected urine at a gentle heat almost to 

 dryness, then add a drop of a solution of mercuric nitrate and evapo- 

 rate carefully to dryness, when a yellowish residue is left that is changed 

 on further cautious heating to a deep rose-color, which disappears on 

 cooling and re-appears on heating. 



