398 ESSAYS anv OBSERVATIONS 
hole made in the gut; but, as there was 
no rednefs or other mark of inflammation 
atthis part, I judged the perforation to 
have been made by the worm after the 
death of the fubject. | 
THERE is little difficulty in concei= 
. ving how a piece of a gut fhould enter 
doubled into the part below it, and how 
it may be gradually protruded downwards 
to a confiderable extent by the food of 
feces, in their defcent towards the anus; 
but it is not eafy, when this difeafe be- 
gins, to diftinguifh it from a variety of 
other diforders which happen im the ali-+ 
mentary canal, or to find a remedy when 
it is fufpected, efpecially if the zntufeu/cep- 
tio is in the fmall guts; and from the 
obfervation above narrated of the child 
with the fatal procidentia ani, it would ap; 
pear difficult to cure it; nay, if the 
doubled parts of the inteftine are grown 
together, as in moft of the hiftories, a 
reduction of it is impoffible. Nature fel- 
dom will perform what I imagine fhe did 
in the laft cafe, feparate the doubled part,. 
and unite what contained it. Nor do 2} 
believe 
