34 Intermitting Diabetes, tyc. [January,morning felt greatly relieved. During Thursday <strong>and</strong> Fridayshe took about 20 grs. more of quinine, <strong>and</strong> enough colchicumto open the bowels. When I saw her on Saturday morningshe was able to walk about the room—was entirely free frompain ;pulse reduced to 70, of moderate force, <strong>and</strong> with the exceptionof a slight stiffness of the joints there was no evidencethat the patient had ever had an attack of rheumatism.[ Western Lancet.On Intermitting Diabetes, <strong>and</strong> on the Diabetes of Old Age,By H. B. Jones, F.R.S., Physician to St. George's Hospital.The author's object in this communication was to point outsome phenomena connected with diabetes, which he had notfound mentioned by other writers. Preliminary to the recordof the cases, the author offered some observations on the incorrectresults obtained by calculating the amount of sugarpresent in the urine from the specific gravity. If diabeticurines were solution* of nothing but sugar in distilled water,the tables by Dr. Henry, <strong>and</strong> the amount of sugar calculatedfrom the specific gravity, would give all the information required; but a multitude of other substances were present besidessugar, ealih of which was variable, <strong>and</strong> each of whichmight cause the specific gravity to vary, whilst the quantity ofsugar might remain constant. To be accurate, therefore, theamount of sugar should always be determined by direct experiment,<strong>and</strong> never calculated from the specific gravity. Resultswere given, exhibiting the specific gravity, the amount of sugarcalculated from solid apparatus, <strong>and</strong> the absolute amount ofsugar obtained by direct analysis. On the subject of intermittingdiabetes, the author observed that there could be but littledoubt that our knowledge of the nature of this disorder mightbe extended by means of accurate determination of the varietiesin the amount of sugar in the urine passed at differentperiods of the day, <strong>and</strong> under different circumstances. Hisobject in relation to this form of the disease was to recordsome cases in which, either from the medical treatment, or theregimen, or the natural course of the complaint, the variationin the amount of sugar was not from much to little, but fromhighly saccharine urine to total absence of sugar. The stateof the urine a few hours after the sugar had disappeared, <strong>and</strong>an hour or two before it reappeared, was most especiallyworthy of attention, inasmuch as it might lead to a truer knowledgeof the state of the system which preceded the commencementof diabetes. In intermitting diabetes the diseasemight be seen beginning <strong>and</strong> ending, <strong>and</strong> the explanation of
IS54.] Intermitting Diabetes,
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