Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-02-24

There is not, among the whole catalogue of Chronic
Diseases, oe concerning which am often written to,
and consulted from every section Of the United States and
called on prescribe for Constipation Of the Bowels.
1t would seem to he the disease Of the country; and like
most other Chronic Diseases find has been treated
Ger tots Misrepresentation as 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 that is opposed by the great mass OF
the profession, but which is sreRuousy advocated by
few, and those few from their research and close study
stand at the head Of his profession and from whom
indebted having converted from the old beaten
track laid down in the books, and led to embrace my
present belief With avew to making the matter intelli
gbe to the general reader, (Which is very difficult
thing to do) shall endeavor to simplify the matter
much 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 dissimilar
states Of the system viz in those that are lean and
spare habit and in those of robust and healthy appear
We will first take into consideration the former;
and the first question to he propounded and Eered is
Why are the bowels irregular as regards theT action
why do they not move with more regularity and FIRE
quency-Ehy the delay in the focal matter being eject
For the very good that the natural stimulus to
action, the contraetons of the particles of the bowels
upon their coneuts is absentthey do not ac because
| that which sets them in mohon-thst which stimulates
them to contraction and the consequent expeng of their
contents is not to excite or bring about this ac
/ ton or contraction.
What this natural stimulus EXETER Of the action
| of the bowek?
Their contents-the focal matter, and which must be
of scertain bulk, ounces in weight before
c3n become EXETER of the contraction of the bowels.
The reason then why no evacuation takes .pace-wby
the bowels Irregular is because there is focal mat
ter there to be expelled and of if there is moth
ing to be expelled nothing be expelled. Focal mat
ter cannot be sent out of the bowels because is in
them; it is not because the bowels unable to dis
charge their contents but because hy have contents
to discharge.
said there nothing no focal mater there's there
may be small quantity and but small quaatty: not
enough at any rate from its bulk weight to excite
contraction but soon as some or OUNCES are pres
he
tany by the weight OF their contents be stimulated and
forced into contraction and the expeing of their
tents as the womb will at the end Of nine months from
the weight of its centents expe the fGtus, as the
bladder will expe its contents wheu cert ain quantity
shall have been secreed there 1t is law of the
my and until there is suhcentwegbt or bulk within the
intestnes sufficient to stimulate them to contract,
will be no evacuation, and of course no evacuation is
needed.
At this point, will take occasion to remark that UNI
der this view of the Of rreguary of the bowels
one can readily see how perfectly ridiculous and
sensica and how entirely useless the administration
Of purgative medicines in Constipation You take pur
gative aud laxative medicinesand fol what?why to
pelfrom the bowels that which is thereto force them
to contract and expel when there is nothing to expe
Pugatve medicines in Constipation not only useless
butyery injurious as shall see and their admnisra
ton is the height OF empyricism Let the bowels alone
until the proper time arrives for their evacuation,
til they 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 eces shall have accumuat
ed to the of 8 or ounces they will most
certainly contract upon and expe their contents.
The next question in order is
Why is NOT feca matter present why has it not been
withmore regularity and with more frequency depostedso
to become an EXETER to contraction of the bowels and
the consequent expulsion of their contents?
For The reason, that as the feces true 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 thineet, 20 res and quality, it is very
easy to ina CINE that there will not be much secretion; it
is an impossbiy thai there should be much, for the
blood is not there out of which the secreons can be
manutactGredi the annfaourers ready to do the
work they are ready to manufacture the fecal matter
but they are short of material they have nothing
With material to work into matter Like the cot
factory where everything is ready to do the work
all the hands employed all the achinery good
and ready for action, but the spun thread is wauting
MT to be had and cannot be got and the consequence
is no homespun is made there is nothing to make it
out Of 90 with the colon and recum the lower bow
els they ready to manufacture depose the fe
cal secretion, but good rich blood and plenty of it, be-
ing wanting, they are left without any material work
with and Of COURSE not having this all important
riathe blood they cannot manufacture the hecreton
Now unaware that this do;trine of iec ;aton at
variance with large of the profession, and not
only the profession but those out of it, and the latter
well as large majority Of Il former regard the
the residuum of the food that potion OF the food
which il not taken up by the circulation and needed
for the purposes Of nourishing the body refuse
of the food after all the nutritious part of it has been
extracedj but this is entirely idea for the feces
as true secret from the membrane OF the
colon, is the gastric juice from the membrane
of the stomach the saliva from the mueus braue
of the glands OF thu mouth the tears from the nucus
membrane of the achrymal glands; and the Of
secretion from either, depends upon the quantity and
quality of blood distributed to them SO Of the colon
the amountof secretion from its membrane that
is the quantity of eces that deposited in the bowels
depends upon the quantity of blood distributed to that
membrane The hooks, azure, teach very differ
ent doctrine, but because DR. this one Dr. that one
says in his book Is Of being true Other
Doctors their books say differently and when Doctors
disagree, who shall decdef The books say and it the
generally received opinion among the profession, that
after the food passes into the stomach is by the
culEr action of the stomach rolled and tumbled ill
becomes soft, homogeneous mass, and then it is
pressed forward into the upper portion of the bowels
called the duodenum, where portion part is
traeed or separated for purposes of nutrition, called
chte, ami which taken by the small tubular vessels
called iacteas and carried into the circulation for the
purposes of nourshing the body; the other portion
becoming useless after the chile extracted from it, il
is sent forward through the bowels and expelled Now
instead part only of this mass being prepared and
taken into the circulation, the ohOie Of it is in health
taken up. Now let about thset us see if part
only is taken and carried into the circulation. How
much in weight does person in health meal!
| Say two pounds-three meals day. would make six
pounds that he has taken into his stomach Now &C.
cording to the books, part this say one-ha taken
up and carried into the circulation; the other half then
according to our calculation would be pound in
the bowels after each meal three pounds a day. to be
carried forward and expelled lower portion Of The
bowels. Now bear in mind that there is each day three
pounds of dross residuum Of the food that is not
needed for the nutrition OF the body and is carried on
through the bowels 20 be expelled Now suppose this
happened to be troubled with constipat on Of the
bowels and should base discharge from the bowels
Tor week, very frequent with dyspeptcs
and others troubled with Constipation. l have known
persons to go three weeks without having any operation
OF the bowels, and there are record where pa
tients have gone six and twelve months without having
had STOOL Nov, at the end Of week. this consti-
pated gatent would ording 10 our calculation be
carrying about him, in his bowels 81 pounds Of LEGAL
material the end of two weeks he would carry about
with him AZ poundsa the end three weeks SO pounds
and in the OF those have alluded 10 going six
and twelve months without stool, would carry $40
| pounds, and the other 1892 pounds What absurd
idea, that person should carry about with him thou
sand pounds OF the half it, Of feca matter SO,
AZ the II pounds. Suppose the patient at the end
of the FIRST week. who is supposed to have 81 pounds in
store, is weighed how mucn will he actually weight
will la weigh Il morel No. Win no weigh the half of
II, or pounds, or l poundl No; not o1e half ounce
more AMI the great probability is, that he will even
weigh much as he did week previous. What has
become OF the Il pounds Of refuse malterl That's
question easier answered If we sck To
the old doctrine as laid down in the books HI tell YOU
what has become OF it, the phOie Of the food was taken
up and carried into the circulation and good portion
has passed through the bladder in The form urne and
through the pores Of the skin in the form o. insensibe
| Precipitation.
1t has under the observation Of almost every one
that patient laboring under disease where no
solid food has been taken for weeks yet stools are as
well formed and copous ever; aud in fact this same
patient may have at the commencement u his disease
taken strong and purgalve medicine, which expelled
every PAL tcle Of tecal matter, and before taking
any nourshment, with the exception perhaps OF little
tea he has had other stools almost ropous of as
much consstence the first This Of COURSE could not
have been the resduum OF the food for the patient had
taken Patients with lock- jaw, where II was an i'm
possibility for them 10 take nything for days and
weeks, in the shape Of noudshmeUt except liquid, aud
that Of the thlnntst kind, yet have daily evacuation
Of the usua coDssteuce Patients suffering from cancer
IN the mouib that preluded the possibility Of taking any
kind Of nourshment by the mouth have been nourisled
and kept alive ~ enema yet they have stools OF