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Diabetes Mellitus

According to the Tongui pogam the thirst associated with diabetes mellitus was due to “heart fever.” The symptoms of diabetes included intense thirst and hunger, increased eating and drinking, frequent uri­nation, weakness, and wasting.

Although the pa­tient ate and drank large quantities, all the food consumed turned to urine, and the patient became very thin. In advanced cases the disease was accom­panied by “bad boils,” usually referring to ulcera cruris.

To prevent or treat diabetes mellitus, it was said that one must abstain from three things: alcohol, sex, and salty food. In patients with the disease, acupuncture and moxibustion should not be per­formed for more than 100 days because inflamma­tion of the wound could lead to death. The sudden formation of bad boils in such patients could signal imminent death.

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Source: Kiple Kenneth F. (Editor). The Cambridge World History of Human Disease. Cambridge University Press,1993. — 1200 p.. 1993

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