^3^ ANALYSIS OF PIABETIC URINE. 



XV. 



An Essay on the Saccharine Diabetes; by Messrs. DuPUY- 

 TREN and Thenard. Abridged by the Authors. 



Urine changed -JLT has long been known, that the nature of the urine is so 

 indiabrtesj much changed in the disorder called diabetes, as, instead of 

 being pungent and in small quantity, like that of a healthy- 

 person, it is on the contrary saccharine and very copious, 

 but its analysis The first atteoipts at its analysis however are not to be dated 

 jj^tg^ farther back than thirty years. For this three reasons may 



be assigned: first the rarity of the disease; secondly the 

 little certainty of the chemical means of analysis formerly 

 employed; and thirdly the common neglect of animal che- 

 jiiistry. 

 Sugar demon- jj. ^.^g ^^t till 1778 that the existence of sugar in diabetic 

 jLirine was actually demonstrated. This discovery, made by 

 Caulcy, and confirmed in 17.01 by Franck, was conjectured 

 by Willis in the beginning of the 17th century, and in some 

 measure perceived by Poole and Dobson. But it must be 

 confessed, that Caulcy, attending only to the saccharine mat- 

 ter of this sort of urine, left much to be desired. It was 

 necessary to inquire into the other principles it might con- 

 tain, and particularly those that enter into the compositiori 

 of healthy uririe. This was done in 1803 by Messrs. Nico- 

 peneral state las and Quendeville of Caen. From their researches it ap- 

 disorder^ pears, that diabetic urine contains no sensible portion of 



' ' uree or of lithic acid; that the most sensible tests scarcely 



indicate any traces of phosphate or sulphate; that it is im- 

 possible to discover in it any free acid ; and lastly that we 

 find in it only a large quantity of sugar with more or less 

 common salt. 

 Objectaof the Our object in this essay is not merely to confirm the re* 

 suits we have mentioned, but farther to make known 



1. The medical observations we have made on the patjent, 

 whose urine we analysed ; 



• Anrtaleafae Chemie, vol. LIX, p. 41. 



2, ThQ 



