188 INFLAMED BOWELS. 



tag-e ; and, in some instances, these have remained on the 

 stomach, when castor oil has been rejected. — See Costive- 



NESS. 



Bilious Inflammation of the Bowels forms the fourth kind 

 , of these intestinal affections before noticed. I have already 

 remarked, that dog-s, in common with all animals that live 

 indiscriminately on animal and vegetable matters, are subject 

 to a disordered state of the liver, and to a vitiated secretion 

 of its biliary fluid. 



This bilious inflammation of the bowels, 1 suspect, origin- 

 ates primarily from some aifection of the liver, w^hich alters 

 its secreting- qualities, and makes it, instead of engendering- a 

 healthy bile, secrete one of a black noxious kind ; which, as 

 soon as it passes into the bowels, irritates and inflames them 

 most highly. This species of intestinal inflammation may be 

 disting-uished from the other kinds, by the early vomiting of 

 a black or yellow foetid matter, and likewise by the bilious 

 matters evident in the purgings. Poisonous substances will, 

 however, sometimes produce similar appearances in the stools; 

 g-reat caution is therefore requisite in deciding- between the 

 two, as the treatment for the one, and that for the other (see 

 Poisons), should be very different. In the inflammations 

 arising- from mineral poisons, the vomitings are incessant, and 

 usually frothy and streaked with blood; the mouth swells, 

 and emits an offensive odour ; and the stools are more bloody 

 and less tinged with dark bile. This inflammation may be 

 distinguished from the bilious -by the thirst, which is insati- 

 able under the action of poison. 



Bilious inflammation is not a very untractable complaint, 

 when judiciously managed. When the purgings are already 

 considerable, nothing stronger than castor oil should be g-iven ; 

 but this should never be neglected, unless the evacuations are 

 extremely frequent, profuse, and bloody. When the evacua- 

 tions by the bowels are very trifling-, a mild mercurial purge 

 even should not be neglected, which I have sometimes found 

 of the greatest service ; as. 



