d by various
authors, as by Morgan, Willis, Harris, and Etmuller; but more histories of
the successful treatment of these diseases are wanting to fully ascertain
the most efficacious methods of cure.

In a letter from Mr. Charles Darwin, dated April 24, 1778, Edinburgh, is
the subsequent passage:--"A man who had long laboured under a diabetes died
yesterday in the clinical ward. He had for some time drank four, and passed
twelve pounds of fluid daily; each pound of urine contained an ounce of
sugar. He took, without considerable relief, gum kino, sanguis diaconis
melted with alum, tincture of cantharides, isinglass, gum arabic, crabs
eyes, spirit of hartshorn, and eat ten or fifteen oysters thrice a day. Dr.
Home, having read my thesis, bled him, and found that neither the fresh
blood nor the serum tasted sweet. His body was opened this morning--every
viscus appeared in a sound and natural state, except that the left kidney
had a very small pelvis, and that there was a considerable enlargement of
most of the mesenteric lymphatic glands. I intend to insert this in my
thesis, as it coincides with the experiment, where some asparagus was eaten
at the beginning of intoxication, and its smell perceived in the urine,
though not in the blood."

The following case of chyliferous diabetes is extracted from some letters
of Mr. Hughes, to whose unremitted care the infirmary at Stafford for many
years was much indebted. Dated October 10, 1778.

Richard Davis, aged 33, a whitesmith by trade, had drank hard by intervals;
was much troubled with sweating of his hands, which incommoded him in his
occupation, but which ceased on his frequently dipping them in lime. About
seven months ago he began to make large quantities of water; his legs are
oedematous, his belly tense, and he complains of a rising in his throat,
like the globus hystericus: he eats twice as much as other people, drinks
about fourteen pints of small beer a day, besides a pint of ale, some
milk-porridge, and a bason of broth, and he makes about eighteen pints of
water a day.

He tried alum, dragon's blood, steel, blue vitriol, and cantharides in
large quantities, and duly repeated, under the care of Dr. Underhill, but
without any effect; except that on the day after he omitted the
cantharides, he made but twelve pints of water, but on the next day this
good effect ceased again.

November 21.--He made eighteen pints of water, and he now, at Dr. Darwin's
request, took