The "milk-sick" came to the Lincoln family

[Eva Elisabeth]

When with diabetes I, due to lack of insulin, the metabolism gets out of control, the liver produces a high level of "ketone bodies" (and acetone as a byproduct). These ketone bodies decrease the ph of the blood plasma, a condition called "ketoacidosis". And this condition causes all the symptoms. You could also say in a diabetic crisis the body "poisons" itself.

Tremetol poisons the (healthy) body from "outside", but also causes ketoacidosis and thus the same characteristic symptoms.

The cause of the diabetis (and thus a diabetic crisis) is lack of insulin due to a failure of the pancreas to produce sufficient insulin. (Another cause is that the cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced.) But not vice versa - diabetes or a diabetic crisis (and thus ketoacidosis) don't cause the failure of the pancreas.

Thus tremetol poisoning wouldn't affect the pancreas (although probably in the final stage all organs fail).