The Wilmingtonian., 1886-02-27
on the Treatm ent or IIabItuaI Constlpa.
ttOn.

by ALFRED S. GuBB,L. R, c. p, NJ. r. c. s.,
Resident Medical Officer, French Hospital,
Logdou.
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Tho treSTm6nt Of habitual constipation is
one of the most ordinary, aud, at the same
time, one Of the most important and puzzling
problems in clinical practice. It is the com
mon fault Of the greater proportion Of the
numerous remedies in the therapeutic arseu.
al, employed with this object that they eith-
er produce too rapid, toe Violent OF too drastic
an effect that they are either weakening IN
their afterresult or thai they will not pro-
duce their characteristic effects through any
heightened period of J'me. One Of the first
aud commouest impedlmonts to the uss of
drugs in the treatment Of habtual constipa-
| lion, that the use OF aparients in such eases
even when effectively employed in the first
instance is apt 10 produce a reactiye effect in
the opposite direction, and it is the common
est difficulty in the trGatm,nt Of cases Of the
kind, that either medicines too potent need
20 be used as to cause injlfy by weakening
the patient, or by depressing 50 that, how
ever successful TIE treatment may be in the
| beginning, it ceases 10 be eticctual after a
short time has elapsed, and often cuds in
| prolucng results which are to be edrprecated
as more injurious than the conditions which
the treatment was intended 10 remove. To
overcome Til, difficulty many artful and
ingenious combinations have been made.
The number of ap'rjent pills, the complica-
ted products 0 the ingenuity Dc experienced
practitioners, is endless, and there are very
few physicans FAR advluoad in Lie, who
have not ut fingers ends a series Of con IL
Gated formu'D. m which remedies OF the
most diverse and often OF IN st opposite
character, are ua,l.s-al 10 thep1armtcDlo.-
cnl car, ana made to pun ia 20 many differ
ent directions thlt IL i, d.lli,ult 10 say To
which element III Jae mixaure the good o.
bad effect is TO b, ditrbatci Tins very
number AMI complication of tnese specific,
aud tue varying and excessive popularity ot
the more heterog geae0us com. .,Ouuds aud en-
prcal rcmed es, Indicates at once the c,.n-
pleXity ol thept ob,e 4, aud Lhe liiculty cf is
solution.
1t is not surprising under these clrcum-
stances that Of late years practitioners have
looked more and more 10 those med csnd.
waters which ia are has supplied from ncr
own laboratory, aud IN wnich simple plrg,
live elements mo found. OF which the phy II
u!oGical wo,brag a.l cas- y or investigated,
and to Nhich clinical experience can resort
without, fear Of beng blinded ly the com.
plcxlty 81 tln elements. Those winch have
attained the greatest vogue aie the eaters
which are especially eharaggriiztd by a very
Large pefconage oi saipAye OF misncsia,
and su pAato ofsolt, which are nmil4rly
known throughout Ggmeay as "bittel
watcls, the best known being Puilua water
lluuyadI jams, aid Ftiedeuehahal,.
There are alsO some Hungarian waters
more o. less extensively used, mos Ol which
belong u the same type, such as the Isou.
lap and tine Victoria (OhnerJ An these
, waters Uwu their uudyuJt.d efficacy more
especially 70 heir richness in the apegieut
suIphates, and il appears from the result oi
clinical experience TO be in excess Of thai
which can be pUraned by artificial Goa
! pOnnds presumably Of similar composition
, to oal of which, indeed, the objection stated
above applies, yz, that tlcir physiological
and thccagauti'a. aeayity becomes ,uptred
b. continuing Usv.
Recent Icsgarelts aud especially those q
Professor Matthew Hay, OF Professor Won
Mering, Of Strasburg, and others, have