The rising in the throat of this patient, and the twitchings of his limbs, seem to indicate some similarity between the diabetes and the hysteric disease, besides the great flow of pale urine, which is common to them both.

Perhaps if the mesenteric glands were nicely inspected in the dissections of these patients; and if the thoracic duct, and the larger branches of the lacteals, and if the lymphatics, which arise from the bladder, were well examined by injection, or by the knife, the cause of diabetes might be more certainly understood.

The opium alone, and the opium with the rosin, seem much to have served this patient, and might probably have effected a cure, if the disease had been slighter, or the medicine had been exhibited, before it had been confirmed by habit during the seven months it had continued.  The increase of the quantity of water on beginning the large doses of rosin was probably owing to his omitting the morning doses of opium.

V. The Phaenomena of Dropsies explained.

I. Some inebriates have their paroxysms of inebriety terminated by much pale urine, or profuse sweats, or vomiting, or stools; others have their paroxysms terminated by stupor, or sleep, without the above evacuations.

The former kind of these inebriates have been observed to be more liable to diabetes and dropsy; and the latter to gout, gravel, and leprosy.  Evoe! attend ye bacchanalians! start at this dark train of evils, and, amid your immodest jests, and idiot laughter, recollect,

  Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat.

In those who are subject to diabetes and dropsy, the absorbent vessels are naturally more irritable than in the latter; and by being frequently disturbed or inverted by violent stimulus, and by their too great sympathy with each other, they become at length either entirely paralytic, or are only susceptible of motion from the stimulus of very acrid materials; as every part of the body, after having been used to great irritations, becomes less affected by smaller ones.  Thus we cannot distinguish objects in the night, for some time after we come out of a strong light, though the iris is presently dilated; and the air of a summer evening appears cold, after we have been exposed to the heat of the day.

There are no cells in the body, where dropsy may not be produced, if the lymphatics cease to absorb that mucilaginous fluid, which is perpetually deposited in them, for the purpose of lubricating their surfaces.

If the lymphatic branch, which opens into the cellular membrane, either does its office imperfectly, or not at all; these cells become replete with a mucilaginous fluid, which, after it has stagnated some time in the cells, will coagulate over the fire; and is erroneously called water.  Wherever the seat of this disease is, (unless in the lungs or other pendent viscera) the mucilaginous liquid above mentioned will subside to the most depending parts of the body, as the feet and legs, when those are lower than the head and trunk; for all these cells have communications with each other.