130 COLICS AND THEIR TREATMENT 



Does the physician expect to overcome paralysis of an 

 arm with irritating purgatives? He certainly does not. 



In impaction, besides the paralysis of the bowels (whole 

 or partial), we have the hard dry mass of feces with 

 which to contend. 



The danger from impaction of the bowels lies in : 



1. Death from starvation and exhaustion. 



2. Death from autointoxication. 



3. Death from gangrene (rare). 



4. Death from enteritis. 



The first can be prevented only by overcoming the 

 ailment before this condition is possible. Alany veteri- 

 narians to try to force bowel movement with aloes, which 

 not only commonly fails, but is a potent factor in bring- 

 ing on the fourth danger (enteritis). 



Let us analyze the error of the aloes' treatment in 

 impaction of the bowels. 



Picture in your mind a large portion of intestinal 

 tract, rich in blood supply, filled with a large, hard, dry, 

 heavy mass of feces weighing 40 to 50 or 60 pounds, 

 harsh and irritating, practically a foreign body lying in 

 one place, mechanically interfering with the flow of 

 blood or in other words causing congestion over a great- 

 er or less area of the intestinal tract. 



Now comes a dose of aloes, which itself must be acted 

 upon by the bile before it really can have a purgative 

 action and with impaction there is usually, in fact, I think 

 always, a sluggish liver, which being so, renders void the 

 cathartic action of the aloes. Unfortunately this is not 

 true of the irritant action of this drug; whether acted 



