SUBACUTE OBSTRUCTION OF THE DOUBLE COLON 87 



follow this line of reasoning will, therefore, administer 

 some such remedy as Percivall's : 



Aloes sol. 5^ii- 



Tr. opii ^ 



Spts. eth. nit. j ''''^''■ 



Aq. fervens - - . - O.ss. 



Misce fiat haust. 



In the treatment of to-day that would resolve itself 

 into the administration of a 7-drachm ball of aloes, 6 to 

 8 grains of morphia hypodermically, and about 2 ounces 

 of spts. eth. nit., in a drench. 



In addition to the administration of sedatives alone, or 

 combined aloes and anodynes, enemas are frequently 

 thrown into the rectum. Many also advocate the use 

 of hot fomentations to the belly, in order to promote 

 peristalsis. So long as the case Hngers on, the exhibition 

 of sedatives in decreasing doses is persisted in ; and if 

 the practitioner be particularly bold, the aloes is supple- 

 mented by a dose of linseed-oil. It is common, also, to 

 find oil of turpentine administered to prevent the rise of 

 fermentation and tympany. 



It cannot be gainsaid that the above line of treatment 

 is successful. At any rate, it has been continuously 

 adopted by a large number of practitioners for a great 

 many years. If anything new is to be introduced, it 

 must show advantages over the old. Whether or no 

 the treatment I am about to advocate will do that can 

 only be judged from experience. For my own part, 

 it has caused me to entirely cast aside the aloes and 

 anodynes in its favour. Several years' experience of 

 a solely stimulative treatment has led me to believe 

 it a great deal more rational than either of those de- 

 scribed, and certainly more successful. I have also found 

 it wise to refrain from using aloes. A treatment based 

 upon these lines I shall, therefore, next describe. 



