The inherent susceptibility of the diabetic patient to infection is not only manifested by the frequency with which skin infections are found but further exemplified in the high incidence and serious character of infection of the urinary tract. Almost one in every five diabetic patients coming to autopsy at the New England Deaconess Hospital since 1919 has shown some infectious process in the urinary tract. In 196, purulent infection of the urinary tract was present in thirty-five, or 18 per cent. All other types of nephritis and specific infections have been excluded. This high incidence is not confined to autopsy material, for such infections are frequently found in ward patients.
The tables show the distribution of infection of the urinary tract in the thirty-five patients who came to postmortem examination. In this series there were twenty females and fifteen males. The proportion of females to males in the entire 196