DYSENTERY. 369 



but in dysentery they possess the additional characteristics 

 of being totally altered from their natural appearance and 

 odour : being dark-coloured, disgustingly fetid, purulent, 

 and at times bloody, and on occasions more like coffee- 

 grounds in aspect than matters of ordure. 



The Especial Seat of dysentery is the caecum and colon : 

 and 



Its Nature — as far as my experience in so uncommon 

 a disease will permit me to speak — essentially consists in 

 abscess and ulceration of the mucous follicles of the mem- 

 brane lining those intestines. The morbid appearances 

 I have observed are — a jagged sort of exulceration of this 

 membrane, covered with a brownish or dirty fetid purulent 

 matter, and here and there small abscesses, which to me 

 looked like so many distended follicles. In regard to the 

 sound parts of the membrane, which itself is in a state of 

 thickening, in one case I found them flushed from inflam- 

 mation; in another, their surfaces exhibited a leaden hue^ 

 and were bloodless. I have, however, seen dysenteric in- 

 testines black and gangrenous — so rotten in texture that 

 they would not bear removing without rupture ; and in a 

 state of distension from gas so disgustingly fetid that it was 

 next to impossible to hold one^s head over the gut the 

 moment it was opened. Arsenic produces this state. 



The Symptoms characteristic of this condition of bowel, are 

 — frequent evacuations of an offensive nature and an unnatural 

 colour, consisting of lumps or pieces of solid matter floating 

 in a fluid, which I have on occasions compared to coffee- 

 grounds, accompanied by purulent, at times even by bloody, 

 discharges ; tenesmus : the animal lies much, unless when 

 he is annoyed with griping pains, though these seldom come 

 on until late ; he falls away from day to day, notwithstand- 

 ing that his appetite, though perhaps impaired, is by no means 

 so very much to be complained of; his thirst is constant 

 and insatiable ; a slow fever attends, the pulse being about 

 60 ; fits of cholic supervene, or should they be already pre- 

 sent, towards the latter stage they grow more painful, and 

 II. 24 



