Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-03-02

There is not among the whole catalogue of Chronic
Diseases concerning which am so ten written to-
and cOnsuted from every section the United States ana
called prescribe for Constipation of the Boes
1t would to he the disease o. the country: and like
most other Chronic Diseases find has been treated IN
der total Misrepresentation regards the true cause of
the Disease. will in my advertisement Of this week
give what conceive to be correct view of the causes
view aware that is opposed by the great mass OF
the profession but which is sTenuously advocated bv a
few and those few from their research and close study
stand at the head Of his profession ana from whom am
indebted having been converted from the cid beaten
track laid down in the books and led to embrace nv
present belief. With view to making the matter ntell-
gble 10 the general readsr (Which is very difficult
thing to do.) shall endear to simplify the matter as
much as possible in the hope that may be followed
without difficulty.
Constipation is of two kinds or perhaps ought rather
to say that it arises from two and entirely dissmilar
states OF the SYSTEM viz; in those that are lean and
spare habit and in those robust and healthy appear
auce. We will first take into consideration the formers
and the first question to be prOpounded wered is
Why are the bowels irregular regards thei- action
why do they not move with regularity and FIRE
quency-Thy the delay in the focal matter being eject
edH
For the very good that the natural stimulus to
action the conracions of the particles of the bowels
upon their is absent-they do net act because
that which them in moon-that which stimulates
them to contraction and the consequent expeng their
contents is not present to excite or bring about this
ton or contraction.
What this natural stimulus or EXETER OF the action
| Of the bowels?
Their contents-the focal matter and which must be
OF certain bulk, or some ounces in weight before
can become EXETER Of the contraction of bowels
The reason then, Why evacuation takes place-why
the bowels Irregular is because there no mat
ter there to be expelled and of course if there is moth
ing to be expelled, nothing can be expelled Focal mat
ter cannot be sent out of the bowels because it is not in
themj it is not because the bowels unable to dis
charge their contents but because hy have 10 contents
| to discharge.
said there nothing no focal ma ter there; there
may be small quantity, and but small quantity not
enough at any rate from its bulk weight to excite
contraction, but as soon as some or are pres
thpir Low
tany by the weight OF their contents stimuli and
forced into contraction the expeng of their con-
tents as the womb WILL at the end Of nine months from
the weight of its contents, expe the ftus or as the
Bladder will expel its when cert lin quantity
shall have been secreted there. II is law of the econo
my, and until there is sufficient weight or bulk Within the
inestines sufficient to stimulate them to contract there
"ll be no evacuation, and of course evacuation is
needed.
AT this point will take occasion to remark that uu-
der this view of the cause Of rregulary of the bowels
one can readily how perfectly ridiculous and non
sensca and how entirely useless the administration
OF purgatVe medicines in Constipation. You take pur.
galye and laxative medicnesa and for what?why to ex
pefrom the bowels that which thereto force them
70 contract and e&pel when there is nothing expel
Purgative medicines in Constipation are not
very injurious we shall see, and their adminstra
ton IS the height OF empyricism. Let the bowels alone
until the proper time arrives for their evacuation or IN
hey need to be evacuated and rest assured that they
will perform their functions without the help of any drugs
Let them alone and when the feces shall have acumut
ed to the cunt Of ounces they will most
certainly contract upon and expel their contents.
The next question in order is
Why is not ecd matter present-w hiss it not been
withmore regularity and with frequency deposited SO
to become an exeter to contraction Of the bowels and
the consequent expulsion of their contentsl
For The reason, that as the feces secretion
from the blood, and the patient from his lean lank Ian
tern awed appearance shows very plainly that he has
but very little blood inside of him and what there is
of the thineG pc rest and meanest quality il is verv
easy to imagine that there will not be much secrcton
is an impossbilty that there should be much for the
blood is not there out of which the eca secons be
manufactured; the mAnufacurers ready to do the
they are ready to manu- acture the feca matter
but they short of MATERIAL they have nothing to crk
Wth no material to work into ecal Like the cot
ton factory, where everything is ready to do the work
all the haads employed all the machinery good order
and ready for acton but the spun thread is waptngt
is MT to be had and be got and the
is no homespun made there nothing to make it
out or 20 with the colon and rectum the lower bow
es they are ready to manufacture and deposite the M
cal secretion but good rich blood plenty of it, be.
ing wanting they are left without any material
with and of course not having this all important mate
ria-the blood they cannot manufacture the secretion
Now am aware that this doctrine feci cation is at
variance with large of the profession and not
only the profession but those of it, and the latter as
well as large majority of til former regard the eces as
the Tesiduum of the food that portion of the food
which a not taken up by the circulation and
for the purposes of nourishing the body or as the
of the food after all the nutritious part of it has been
extracted; but this is entirely idea for the feces
are as true secret from the membrane Of the
coon as is the gastric juice from the mucus membrane
OF the stomach, or the saliva from the membrane
membrane of the lachrymal glands and amount Of
secretion srOm either, depends upon the quantity and
quality OF blood distributed to them; ana of the colon
the amount Of secretion from its membrane that
is the quantity of eces that is deposited in the bowels
depends upon the quantity blood distributed to that
membrane The books, aWure teach a very differ
ent doctrine, but because DR. this one Dr. that one
says in his book Is of its being true Other
Doctors in their books say differently ard when Doctors
disagree, who shall deedef The books say and it is the
generally received opinion among the profession that
after the food passes the stomach is by the mus
ouar action OF the stomach rolled and tumbed Till
it becomes Soft Homogeneous mass, and then it is
pressed forward into the upper portion of the bowels
called She duodenum, where portion or part is ex-
racted or separated for purposes Of nutrition, called
chle and which is taken by the small tubular
Gained dcteds, and carried into the circulation for the
purposes of nourishing the body the other portion
becoming useless after the chile is extracted from it, il
is sent forward through the bowels and expelled. Now
instead oil part only of this mass being prepared and
taken into the circulation the whole it in health
taken up Now let about ths-et us see if part
only is taken and carried into the circulation. How
much in weight does person in health eat at meal?
Say two pounds-three meals day, would make six
pounds that he has taken into his stomach Now &C.
cordtpg to the books part this say oneha is taken
up and carried into the circulation; the other half then
according toour calculation would be pound in
the bowels after each meal, three pounds day. be
carried forward and expelled the portion Of The
bowels Now bear in mind that there is each day three
pounds OF dross or resduum Of the food that is not
needed for the nutrition Of the body, and is carried
through the bowels to be expelled Now suppose this
man happened to be troubled with constipat on OF the
bowels, and should haze discharge from the bowels
Tor one week. very frequent with dyspepcs
and others troubled with Constipation. l have known
persons to three weeks without having any operation
OF the bowels and there record where pa
tents have gone six and twelve months without having
had STOOL Nov, at the end Of one week this const-
pated gatent would, ording TO calculation, be
carrying about HIM, ia his bowels 81 pounds OF fecal
matte-at the end OF two weeks he would carry about
with him q the end three weeks 63 pounds
and in the Of those have alluded 10 as gopg six
and twelve months without STOOL one would carry $40
pounds and the other 1902 pounds What absurd
idea, that person should carry about with him thou
sand pounds the half it, Of focal matter or even 49,
or AZ or the Il pounds Suppose the patient the end
OF the hrst week. who Is supposed have 81 pounds in
store Is Wegned how much more will he actually weight
VIII M weigh Il more! No. Win no weigh the half Of
it, OF pounds, or poundl No; not oae half ounce
more AMI the great probability is thst he will not even
weigh as much as he did week previous. What has
become OF the Il pounds Of refuse matterl That's
question much easier asked II we stick 10
the old doctrine as laid down 10 the books IN tell you
what has become Tit; The phole of the food was taken
up ana carried INTO the circulation and good portion
has passed through the bladder the form Of urine
through the pores Of the skin in the form nsensibe
Precipitation.
1t has under te observation Of almost every one
that patient labjring under acute disease where no
solid food has been for weeks vet the stools are as
well formed and eopous ever; and in fact this same
patient may have, at the commencement II his disease
taken srong and purgahve medicine, which expelled
every particle OF iecal matter, and before taking
any nourshment, with the exception perhaps Of little
e he has had other stools almost as eopious aud as
much consstence as the nrs This Of course, could not
have been the residuum Of the food patient had
taken none Patients with lOc.aw, where was an i'm
possibility for them to take anything for days and
weeks, In the shape Of nourahment except liquid and
that Of the thinnest kind yet have daily evacuation
OF the usual consstence. Patients suffering from
IN the mouth, that preuded the possibility OF taking any
KIND OF nourshment by the mouth have been noushed
ana kept alive ny enenas, yet they have stools Of more
or less Conscience Where could this focal matter
frOn--certainly not from the fOodl