150 CONTENTS OF THE INTESTINAL CANAL. 



this class of cases. It is in the course of chronic dysentery (lientery) 

 that this phenomenon is most commonly observed. In typhus and 

 in cholera we always find a great number of these cells, but they 

 are most abundant in cases of uncomplicated dysentery. 



We find a glassy mucus conglobated in masses of various sizes 

 in catarrhal affections of the large intestines, both when they occur 

 primarily, and when associated with typhus. This mucus is 

 ejected from the follicles of the colon, and the round and pale, 

 or elongated and granular cells and nuclei, which may be recog- 

 nised in it by a microscopic examination, clearly indicate its 

 origin. 



False membranes, fibrinous exudations, and shreds of gangrenous 

 mucous membrane, are found in the evacuations in typhus, croupous 

 dysentery, and follicular ulceration. 



The various intestinal worms, hydatids, fyc., which sometimes 

 occur in the evacuations, do not fall within the scope of our 

 department. 



For the clearer comprehension of the subject, we shall give a 

 condensed view of the physical and chemical relations of the 

 intestinal dejections in certain diseases, namely, in typhus, dysen- 

 tery, and cholera. 



In typhus, the stools are usually fluid, of a yellowish brown 

 colour (often resembling that of dry peas), of an abominable smell, 

 and an alkaline reaction. On allowing one of these evacuations to 

 stand for some time, there is formed a yellowish mucous sediment, 

 in which we may observe flocculi of undigested food, white granules, 

 and, if catarrh of the large intestine be simultaneously present, 

 some clots of glassy mucus. The fluid has a yellowish or pale 

 brown, turbid appearance, and contains more or less albumen. The 

 white granules in the sediment, which are generally about the size 

 of a pin's head, present, under the microscope, the appearance of 

 little more than an amorphous mass, and are probably merely a 

 product of the intestinal ulcers ; the epithelium suspended in the 

 fluid has for the most part a yellow tinge ; crystals of phosphate 

 of ammonia and magnesia occur in the sediment in large number, 

 and the fluid usually contains some distorted and decolorised blood- 

 corpuscles. By means of the microscope, we very often detect 

 vibriones and fungus growths of various kinds. The green colour 

 of the stools in typhus has been already noticed. The fluid lying 

 above the sediment contains only a little biliary matter, but a very 

 large amount of soluble salts, and especially of chloride of sodium, 

 in addition to more or less albumen. 



