Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-12-10
Constipation--Cause and Cure,

often written 10, and consulted, from every Secpn g.
the United Saes and called upon TO prescribe Tor at
Constipation of the Bowels. 1t would seem to be
the disease of the country and like other chronic
Diseases find has been treated under total misap
prehension as regards the true cause of The disease
I will in my advertisement of this week give what
conceive 10 be the correct view OF its causes-a view
am aware, that is opposed by the great mass OF the
profession but which is strenuousy advocated by q
few and those few from their research and close stoy
stand at the head of their profession, and from whom
am indebted to having been converted from the ou
beaten track as laid down in the books anu ieo 10
embrace nv present belief With view to making
the matter Ineligible to the general reader (Which
!, very difficult thing do) shall cndearor 10 SIM
nfv the matter as much possibe IN the nope mat
NAV be followed without difficulty.
Constipation is Of two kinds, or perhaps ouent
rather 10 saw that it arises from two and entirely
dissimar states of the system, viz: in those That are
lean and of spare habit and in those that are lean and
in those of a robust and healthy appearance. We
will first take into consideration the former, and the
first question to be propounded and answered ls,
WIN are the borels Irregular regards their ac-
,o,Iphu do then not nore ,rith more regularity and
frequency-uhy the delay in the tecal matter being
elected?
For the very good reason that the natural stimulus
TO action or the contraction of the pareties oil the
bowels upon their contents is absent-they do rot act
because that which sets them in motion, that which
stimulates them contraction and the consequent e1-
expeng Of their contents is not present 10 excite or
bring about this action or contraction.
What is this natural stimulus or ercitor Of the action
of the bo1oels
he of a certain bulk, or Of some 5 or 8 ounces IN
,reioht before il can become e1ctor of the contrac
tion of The bowels. The then, why no evacua-
tion takes place-why the bowels are irregular, Is
because there is fecal matter there to excite con-
rractionhere is fecal matter there 10 be expelled
and of course if there is nothing there TO be expelled
nothing can be expelled. Fecal matter cannot be sent
ont of The bowels because il is not in them; It is not
because bowels unable to discharge their contents
hut be cause they have no contents 10 discharge.
snd there was nothing, no tecal matter there; +;
there NAV be a,small quantity, not enough at any
rate from its bulk weight to excite contraction but
as soon as some five six ounces are present IN the
bowels their muscular coats will just SO certainly, by
the weight of their contents, be stimulated and forced
into contraction and the expellins Of their contents
Nc the womb will at the end OF nine months, from the
weight of its contents expel the feus, or rs the blad
der will expel its contents when q certain quantity
shall have been secreted there. II IS law OF the
economy and until there is sufficient weight or bulk
within The in,eslines sufficient to stimulate them TO
contract, there VIII be no efacuato anu vi COURSE
no evacuation is needed.
Ar this point will take occasion 10 remark, that
und.r this view of the cause OF lrreguarlty OF the
bowes one can very readily how perfectly rldicu-
lous and nonsensica how entirely useless the ad'
ministraon of purgative medicines IN Constipation.
You take purgaiive laxative medicines and for
what-why 10 expel from the bowels that which IS
not thereto force them TO contract and expel when
there is nothing 10 expel forgatlFe medicines 10
Purgatye medicines in Constipation are not only use
sss hut yery INJURIOUS shall see and their ad-
minislralon is the heig ght OF empyrclsm Let the
bowels alone until the proper time arrives ior heir
evacuation or until they need to be evacuation, or
,,i they need 10 he evacuated and rest assured lhey
will perurm their functions without The help oi any
drugs Let them alone, and when the faces snail
have accumulated to the amount OF some or ounces
they will most certainly contract upon and expe their
c,ntents.
rrhe next question in order is
WIN is not feca matter present-,chy has not been
rih more regularity and nth more frequency deposited
~ IN become an ercitor 10 contraction IF the berefs
and The consequency expulsion Of their contents!
For the reaSon that as the teres are true Secreton
from The blood, and the patient from ms lean, ank'
aforementioned appearance shows very plainly that he
Inns hut very little blood inside Of him. and what there
is of The lhinest, poorest and Teanest qualify II Is
very .asy 10 imagine that there Will not be much Sc
crsion il is ipOsslbllity mat mere shouiu DC
mncb the blood is not there out OF Whch the tecal
s.cr.ons can be manufacturers are ready to DO the
work-they are ready TO manufacture the fecal matter
Inn, ,hey are short of material, they have nothing TO
work with no material 10 work into iecal matter.
Like The cotton factory, where everything is ready 10
dn l, work all the hands employed, all the machine
~ in good order and ready for action, hut the spun is
wantog-it isn't be had and cannot be got, and the
consequence no homespun IS made as there Is hoth
;nr to make it out of. So 1t is with the colon and
rae,nm. the lower bowels, they are ready 10 manu-
f,re and deposit Tue f1cal secretion, but good rich
Hood and plenty OF 1t being wanting, they are let
without auy material to work with, and OF course,
mot having this all important MATERIAL the blood, khey
canno, manufactdfe the secretion.
Now. am aware, that this doctrine of feci6cation
20 NJ variance with large of the profession and
M, rnv the profession but those out Of il, and the
latter as we'll as large majority OF The former, regard
, Gcps as the resdium of the food, that portion o
the foud which not taken up by the circulation and
not needed for the purposes oi nourlslns the body ur
no M refuse of the food after all the nutritious part Of
il has been extracted, but this is entirely wrong
idea for the feccs as true secretion from The
mncus membrane of The culon, as is the gastric juice
from the mucus membrane of the stomach or the
saliva from the mucus membrane oi the glands oi Inc
month or the from the mucus membrane VI lie
iachrymal glands and the amount OF secretion from
either depends upon the quantity and qualify oi bloou
distributed 10 them, and so OF te COLON, the amount
ne secretion from its mucus membrane, that Is, tlr:
nuanty of fsces that is deposited in The bowels de-
W. ,Js mon quantity of blood distributed TO that men,
branc. The books l am aware, teach very different
,lnr,rne but because Doctor this one or Doctor that
one SAYS so in lis book is Of its being true
Other doctors in their books say differently, and when
Doctors disagree, who shall decide. !he DOCKS say
and il il the generally received opinion among the
profession that after the food passes into the stomach
!, is by The muscular actian Of the stomach rolled and
tumbled about until 1t becomes SOFT homogeneous
oass and then it is passed forward into The upper
portion portion of the bowels called the duolenum'
Where by ll,e action Of The bile upol it portion or
part is extracted separated for purposes OF nutrition
called chile and which is taken up by The smai! tupu
lar vessel, called iQctea and carried into the crcnla'
linn ror the purposes Of nourishing the body; the
other portion becoming useless alter the chiie Is eI
tror.d FROM it, il is sent forward through the ouwels
nnJ rxpellsd. Now, instead of q part only OF Tins
mass being prepared and taken into the circulation,
The whole Of is in health taken up Now let US see
about lhs-et us see if part only is taken and car
RI, into the circulation. How much IN weight uoes
a psrson in health eat al a meal +! Say TWO POUNDS
three meals day would make six pounds tiat lie mas
taken into his stomach Now, according 10 the DOCKS
a mar, of this say one-haf, is iaken up and carried
in, The circulation; the other half then, according
10 our calculation, would be one pound left IN the
bowels after each meal, or three pounds day 10 ne
forward and expelled nj the lower portion OF
the novels. Now, bear in mind, that there IS each
day three pounds Of dr0ss residlum OF the iood mat
&c not needed for the nutrition Of the body, and car.
lied en- through the bowes 10 be expelled. Now,
sunDose lis meu happened TO be troubled with const,'
nation of The bowels, and should have no discharge
from the bowels for Week, very frequent occur
renee with iyspeplics and others troubled win Con
s,ipaiun, have known pors"ns TO 60 3weeks without
having auy operation of the bowels ana liere are
gases ON record where patients have gone anu ~
months without having had stool. Now, al lie end
of one week this constpated patient would according
to our calculation be earring about him IN MS oo"els
81 pounds Of feca mat,er-at the END ol TWO WEEKS
he would carry about with him AZ poun,s-at the
End of three weeks 63 pounds-and in The case OF
those have alluded to as going anu u mIh,hs ,'
without a STOOL one would carry 5l6 pounds and the
other 1922 pounds What an absurd idea, that per
ann should carry about with him thousand pounds
or the half of il of feca matter, even 63 or az or
the 81 pounds Suppose the patient, at the emu OF Tue
first week. who supposed 10 have Il pounds III slIle
Iltr pUh