Some Experiments on the Etiology of Diabetes Mellitus.

Abstract

About a year ago, an interesting report was published by Bergey 1 in which the author claimed that he had been able to produce diabetes mellitus in rabbits by a single intravenous injection of a Berkefeld filtrate of the urine of diabetic patients. A striking feature in his observations was the time interval, suggestive of an incubation period, which elapsed between the injection of the urine filtrate and the onset of the glycosuria. Of no little interest also was the observation that filtrates inoculated into serum-broth and incubated for 56 days, or longer, even at room temperature “produced glycosuria in rabbits more promptly and to a more marked degree than freshly filtered urine.” The observations suggested to Bergey that the cause of diabetes mellitus may be represented by a filtrable, ultra-visible organism.

These observations stimulated our interest to the extent that we immediately afterward undertook to repeat these studies. During the course of the work some 30 rabbits were inoculated intravenously with filtrates of diabetic urine in the doses (2 cc.) employed by Bergey. Most of the animals received Chamberland L3 filtrates. Some were injected with L1, others with L2 filtrates, of the same specimen of diabetic urine. Specimens from different patients were employed. The urine samples were collected from the animals by placing them over night in thoroughly cleaned and dry metabolism cages, with no food, but with water before them. The animals were kept on a fairly uniform mixed diet, though this was not strictly standardized. They were for the most part kept under observation for periods of at least 2 months and in some instances as long as 6 months. The urine tests were carried out daily on some animals, others were tested at intervals of several days.