The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-07-18
OBSTRUCTION OF THE BOWELS
AND PERITONITIS ALMOST
ALWAYS so.
AN AUSTIN PHYSICIAN INTER
VIEWED ON THE SUBJECT.
He Describes the Two Troubles Accurate
" and Gives Wholesome Advice That
Should be Needed by One and
All Alike.


porter engaged II prominent physician o.
this city in u conversation as to the cause
of the numerous bowel complaints thai
seem epidemic now. The reporter eX
pressed a desire to ascertain some facts
on the cases 50 that the public might be
benefited and be able to guard against
the almost fatal disease. The physician
consented to give the desired information
provided his name was not mentioned.
With this understanding the reporter
asked him what causes obstruction of the
bowels and peritonitis!
There are many things which cause
obstruction of the bowels" said the doc
tor. "Thc term means in medicine about
what it would mean if applied any where
else. A narrowing or closure of the i'll
testinal passage 50 as TO retard or prevent
the contents from taking its natural
course. The cause may be situated with
in or without the wall of the intestine. If
within, it is usually something the person
has eaten, as an mndigeSted bOluS of food,
or collection of inspissated mucous,
gam stones, called enterOlitis, or concre-
tions of hardened focal matter. If the
cause of obstruction is situated without
the canal, then it may be an abdominal
tumor, or constructing bands of adhesion
from an old peritOnitis, or a twist i'll the
bowel called Il yOlvulus, or a fold of the
intestine may drop through an opening
in the abdominal walls or meSentery and
become strangulatcd as a hernia. a very
frequent external cause is an intiamma-
Ition Of fine appendix, a small rudimentary
attachment from the head of the descend
ing colon about the size and length OF an
ordinary Lead pencil. This is Il useless
portion of the human anatomy, found only
jim man and the species Of monkey which
most resemble man. 1t is situated in the
right side, low down, and when intlam-
NATION attacks it eXcruciating pain is re-
ferred ITO this region. In most people this
strange worm-like attachment is fortu-
nately solid, without a cavity communl-
eating with the bowel, but there are many
people who are not so fortunate in this
respect, whose appendices are hollow
for AN inch or more, and occasionally
catch a grape seed or some other hardened
insoluble substance which is the cause
of the inflammation referred to. This in
hammatiOn extends to the bowel, and if
great enough, produces obstruction The
. causes of obstruction situated within fhe
wall of the intestine are usually structures,
due to cicatrices from liberation. and
what is know as imtussusception, like
glove-finger drawn partially within itself.
The chief cause of the latter condition is
increased perstalSiS, due to the over slim
ulatiOn of the muscular fibres in the in
testinal walls. Many things throw the
bowels into spasms such as undigestcd
food drastic purgatives. etc. There are
people still living who hold that Il pur-
gative has not performed its duty unless
it has nearly washed them into the great
unknown. Such reckless use of purgative
medicine has caused many deaths, espe-
cially among children, and the cause at
tribnted to something else. Fifty per cent
of all cases of imagination of the bowels
is found i'm children, and lit is my opinion
that indiscr'minatc and reckless purga-
tion plays greater part in the causa-
ton than is commonly supposed.
doctor, what is pcritonitis and what
causes itY'
."rhat simply means an Inflammation
of the thin shining membrane called the
peritoneum, which lines the entire alb
dominal cavity. It's chief function is tot
facilitate the moving of the bowels over
each other. 1t inhames as a result of an
injury, and ANY of the causes producing
obstruction of the bowels would fire up Il
peritonitis. An inflammation of this mem
hrane is unlike an Inflammation of the
mucous membrane or the skin, II is adj
hesive in character and causes everything
within the abdominal cavity to become
matted and stuck together
Now, tell me, doctor, how all of this
trouble can he avoided|'
"The causes as already enumerated
would in many instances suggest the
is, how to prevent the trou.
bile. The chief causes of serious bowel
troubles. such as we have most to do
with at this season, are found in the food
we eat and the water we drink. II 1t
require four hours to digest an ordinary |
dinner, consisting of soup, cabbage, beel,
potatoes, watermelon, peaches, etc, and
within two hours, to save from wasting, |
the person eats a half dozen or so half |
ripe peaches and n watermelon, the |
chances are he will have pains in his bow
els, due TO the extra work he has thrown |
upon his digestive apparatus. Then, if
he will repeat this procedure a time or
two and will manage to fatigue himself |
in the hot sum and drink mOrdinatcly |
of ice water, some serious alimcntary |
trouble will often I've the result. Then, |
the proper course to pursue i'll order to |
escape intestinal arrangements would be |
to live tempcrately and plainly in all
things. \ healthy person can eat cab
bagc, corn, watermelon, nutmeg melon, |
fruit, etc, with practical impunity if he
will do 50 at regular meal time and Then
give himself five or six hours interval be-
fore he partakcS of another meal. The
stomach causes ninc-tenthS Of all thcI
trouble to which we murtals are heir, |
and if we wish to keep we'll and live long
we should set our foot upon it, SO to !
speak"