oison, a stone, or inflammation, into more violent action; the stomach and
oesophagus by sympathy invert their motions.

1. When any one drinks a moderate quantity of vinous spirit, the whole
system acts with more energy by consent with the stomach and intestines, as
is seen from the glow on the skin, and the increase of strength and
activity; but when a greater quantity of this inebriating material is
drank, at the same time that the lacteals are excited into greater action
to absorb it; it frequently happens, that the urinary branch of absorbents,
which is connected with the lacteals by many anastomoses, inverts its
motions, and a great quantity of pale unanimalized urine is discharged. By
this wise contrivance too much of an unnecessary fluid is prevented from
entering the circulation--This may be called the drunken diabetes, to
distinguish it from the other temporary diabetes, which occur in hysteric
diseases, and from continued fear or anxiety.

2. If this idle ingurgitation of too much vinous spirit be daily practised,
the urinary branch of absorbents at length gains an habit of inverting its
motions, whenever the lacteals are much stimulated; and the whole or a
great part of the chyle is thus daily carried to the bladder without
entering the circulation, and the body becomes emaciated. This is one kind
of chronic diabetes, and may be distinguished from the others by the taste
and appearance of the urine; which is sweet, and the colour of whey, and
may be termed the chyliferous diabetes.

3. Many children have a similar deposition of chyle in their urine, from
the irritation of worms in their intestines, which stimulating the mouths
of the lacteals into unnatural action, the urinary branch of the absorbents
becomes inverted, and carries part of the chyle to the bladder: part of the
chyle also has been carried to the iliac and lumbar glands, of which
instances are recorded by Haller, t. vii. 225. and which can be explained
on no other theory: but the dissections of the lymphatic system of the
human body, which have yet been published, are not sufficiently extensive
for our purpose; yet if we may reason from comparative anatomy, this
translation of chyle to the bladder is much illustrated by the account
given of this system of vessels in a turtle, by Mr. Hewson, who observed,
"That the lacteals near the root of the mesentery anastomose, so as to form
a net-work, from which several large branches go into some conside