Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-19
SLOW DIGESTION AND ACID DYSPEPSIA.

This, the simple and most common form
of the malady. is sometimes called simple
dyspepsia. 1t is more common in men than
in women, and especially affects sedentary
persons, and those nervous individuals who
eat rapidly, swallowing their food without
proper mastication. 1t is also common in
persons whose teeth are defective. Its i'm
mediate cause is deficient activity in the
muscular walls Of the stomach and intes.
tines, and also deficient quantity or quality
Of gastric Juice. The symptoms are much
the same as those which follow the taking
an excess of food, but are felt when only
moderate amount has been taken. An
hour or two after eating a sensation OF
weight and oppression is felt. The dis.
comfort continues for some hours, gradu.
ally wearing off before the next meal. The
appetite is usually pretty good, but often
will net be prepared for the reception OF
food at meal time, as the work of digest
ing the previous meal has not yet been ac-
complished. Sometimes there is consider
able hatulence of the stomach, the eructa.
tions being tasteless, however, never often,
sive; often pain between the shoulders or
beneath one shoulder. blade, and not infre-
quently in the region of the heart. Palpi.
tation OF the heart often occurs in the
night, causing great alarm on the part of
the patient and hia friends, who entertain
fears of his sudden death. Sleep is dis
turbed and unrefreshing. The tongue is
often foul in the morning, with q bad taste
in the mouth. All the symptoms mentioned
are greatly exaggerated by a late supper,
or by an unusual excess in quantity or
quality of food The bowels are usually
constipsted but may be regular. When
the difficulty has been long continued,
there will be observed marked disposition
to sleep after meals, or unnatural sleepi-
ness at other times, and decided loss of
natural vivscity and energy. Acid dys.
pepsia is that form of indigestion in which
the slowness Of digestion is such that the
food undergoes fermentation, forming acids
which irritate the stomach and give rise to
the same symptoms, much exaggerated,
which have been mentioned As attending
slowness of digestion with several others,
the principal of which are hearth burn, re-
gurgitation of intensely sour liquid from
the stomach, acid quotations, white
tongue, frequently with transverse assures,
often fabby and indented at the edges,
acid saliva, causing decay of the teeth,
bowels likely to be either constipated or
unnaturally loose, grinding of the teeth at
night, and reddish sediment in the urine.
No one patient presents al these symp.
toms, but more or less of them. There is
quite likely also to be pain at the pit of
the stomach, with soreness on pressure.
| On account of the extreme slowness of di-
gestion, farinaceous food always aggravate
this form of dyspepsia. Starchy food, su
gar, fruits, and especially vegetables of al
kinds, cause great increase of acidity and
heart burn. In some cases, even bread
and all sorts of preparations from grains
will disagree. Sugar, or any food contain
ing it, will give rise to great distress. A
meal consisting of animal food almost en-
tirely, may be digested without difficulty,
though milk frequently sours. The diges-
ton being very slow, portions of ferment.
ing food remain in the stomach from one
meal to another, so that acidity becomes
habitual. Patients suffering with this form
of dyspepsia are usually very thin and
bIoodless. Occasionally, however, we meet
case of the opposite kind, in which there
is an abundance of tissue, though OF
loose, fabbY texture. Women suffer from
acidIty more than men, Herald of Health.