aving gone through the sanguiferous
circulation: and as the bladder is supplied with many lymphatics, as
described by Dr. Watson, in the Philos. Trans. v. 59. p. 392. and as no
other vessels open into it besides these and the ureters, it seems evident,
that the unnatural urine, produced as above described, when the ureters
were tied, or the kidneys obliterated, was carried into the bladder by the
retrograde motions of the urinary branch of the lymphatic system.

The more certainly to ascertain the existence of another communication
between the stomach and bladder, besides that of the circulation, the
following experiment was made, to which I must beg your patient
attention:--A friend of mine (June 14, 1772) on drinking repeatedly of cold
small punch, till he began to be intoxicated, made a quantity of colourless
urine. He then drank about two drams of nitre dissolved in some of the
punch, and eat about twenty stalks of boiled asparagus: on continuing to
drink more of the punch, the next urine that he made was quite clear, and
without smell; but in a little time another quantity was made, which was
not quite so colourless, and had a strong smell of the asparagus: he then
lost about four ounces of blood from the arm.

The smell of asparagus was not at all perceptible in the blood, neither
when fresh taken, nor the next morning, as myself and two others accurately
attended to; yet this smell was strongly perceived in the urine, which was
made just before the blood was taken from his arm.

Some bibulous paper, moistened in the serum of this blood, and suffered to
dry, shewed no signs of nitre by its manner of burning. But some of the
same paper, moistened in the urine, and dried, on being ignited, evidently
shewed the presence of nitre. This blood and the urine stood some days
exposed to the sun in the open air, till they were evaporated to about a
fourth of their original quantity, and began to stink: the paper, which was
then moistened with the concentrated urine, shewed the presence of much
nitre by its manner of burning; whilst that moistened with the blood shewed
no such appearance at all.

Hence it appears, that certain fluids at the beginning of intoxication,
find another passage to the bladder besides the long course of the arterial
circulation; and as the intestinal absorbents are joined with the urinary
lymphatics by frequent anastomoses, as Hewson has demonstrated; and as
there is no other road, we may justly c