HOME KEMEDIEfc, FOR COMMON DISEASES 731 



one of the principal causes of dyspepsia, and this con- 

 dition is to be found in a very large proportion of all 

 cases of chronic indigestion. 



The causes of dilatation of the stomach are over- 

 eating, distention of the stomach by gas, and the for- 

 mation of acids in the stomach, which set up a chronic 

 catarrh and cause weakness of the muscles of the 

 stomach. Tight-lacing and wearing belts have the 

 same effect. Blacksmiths usually tie their apron 

 strings tightly around their bodies, throw off their 

 vests and suspenders, so as to give freedom to their 

 arms, and thus their clothing is suspended by their 

 apron strings. One of these men, whom we examined, 

 had a badly dilated stomach. A military officer, who 

 carried a heavy sword in his belt, had a prolapsed 

 stomach and kidney. We have found the same thing 

 in hunters who sustained their clothing by a belt ; also 

 in farmers who wore belts. Once in a while we have 

 found a similar condition in women who have worn 

 tight bands around the waist. Statistics recently gath- 

 ered show that seventy-five per cent of the invalid 

 women who came under our care last year had pro- 

 lapsed stomachs, and thirty-three per cent of them 

 had movable kidneys, in consequence of restriction of 

 the waist. This is one of the most mischievous in- 

 fractions of the laws of health with which we are 

 acquainted. 



In the treatment of persons suffering from dila- 

 tation of the stomach, one of the most useful of all 

 measures is washing the stomach by means of a very 

 soft and flexible tube, one end of which is swallowed 

 by the patient. The stomach tube is also useful in 

 investigating disorders of the stomach. Within the 

 last few years the author has, by the aid of this instru- 



