618 AFFECTIONS OF THE INTESTINAL CANAL. 



speak of colicky pains, just as we mentioned them when speaking of 

 the premonitory symptoms of typhlitis stercoracea, and of contraction 

 and obstruction of the intestines. But we have already distinguished 

 the colicky pains which precede the inflammation from those which 

 accompany and depend on it. The same cause which has to-day in* 

 duced a colic, may to-morrow excite a colitis. We cannot always ex- 

 plain how these colics can induce increased excitability in the sensory 

 nerves of the intestines ; but we may suppose that the pains are always 

 caused by irritation of the peripheral extremities of the intestinal 

 nerves ; so that this form of colic must be distinguished from the proper 

 nervous affection of the intestine. The most frequent cause of colicky 

 pain is, unmistakably, excessive distention of a portion of intestine, 

 causing stretching of the walls of the intestine, and gases enclosed at 

 some circumscribed part appear particularly to cause this distention. 

 We may often clearly perceive that the gas is driven forward against 

 the faeces, or some other obstruction, and, there arrived, i't excites the 

 most severe pains ; and, in other cases, that the gases are driven by 

 the contraction of the intestines, from one place to another, and, with 

 their change of location, the position of the pain also changes. It is 

 just as improbable that the pain in this colica flatulenta is caused by 

 the irritation of the intestinal gases on the intestinal mucous mem- 

 brane, as that it depends on the pressure from the contraction of the 

 intestinal muscles on the nerves of the intestine. As the decompo- 

 sition of the contents of the intestines is the most frequent cause of 

 the collection of gas, it becomes evident that the diseases in which the 

 contents undergo abnormal decomposition are often accompanied by 

 the symptoms of wind-colic. This is particularly true of intestinal 

 catarrh, which is excited by the passage of undigested food from the 

 stomach into the intestine, or by the long retention of fasces. As in 

 children, undigested and decomposing milk very frequently enters the 

 intestines, colica infantum is an exceedingly frequent disease. If the 

 decomposing substances be removed from the intestines before the in- 

 testinal mucous membrane is affected with catarrh, colic may be the 

 sole symptom of the abnormal process. Just as colica flatulenta ap- 

 pears to be caused by a collection of gas in the intestine, colica sterco- 

 racea appears due to a distention of the intestines by faeces, and colica 

 verminosa to a distention of the intestine by a coil of tape-worm, or 

 a bundle of round worms. The abdominal pains following the em- 

 ployment of drastics or injurious ingesta are also usually described as 

 colic, but the changes in the secretions of the intestine after the use 

 of these medicines, or after eating unripe fruit, and many other sub- 

 stances, tend to show that there is slight inflammation, which is of 

 short duration, and disappears with the removal of the injurious sub- 



