^^_|. Disturbances of Digestion. 



position are continually going on, distends the intestine, partic- 

 ularly by gaseous inflation. If the lumen is merely narrowed and 

 not completely obstructed and if the obstructing cause is slow- 

 in development, a compensatory hypertrophy of the musculature 

 mav ensue (v. p. 255), and for a time overcome the difficulty; 

 the strengthened wall by its more forceful contractions succeed- 

 ing in forcing the tiuid chyme through the narrowed passage. 

 Where occlusion is sudden and complete, however, the retained 

 contents accumulate in such amounts and the gaseous distension 

 becomes so intense that serious symptoms and results are in- 

 duced. The pressure, whether from without or from \\ithin the 

 gut, upon the nerves of the intestinal wall and mucous membrane 

 and their irritation by the chemical substances in the contents, 

 cause violent contractions, spasms of the smooth muscles ; which, 

 either by anti-peristaltic movements or because of mere disten- 

 sion of the tube, and because from vagus irritation retching 

 movements are set up, induce overflow and regurgitation of the 

 chyme into the stomach, a process known as ileus (6 d\eb?, 

 from etX^o., I close, or dXiw. I turn, according to Roth) or 

 niiscrcrc. l)ecause of the frightful torture which it causes. 

 The violent muscular spasms of the intestine are accom- 

 panied by severe pains, colicky pains or griping (i)Kw\iK-n, sup- 

 ply v6sos ; from t6 kwUv, the colon), giving place to an intestinal 

 paralysis due to fatigue of the U'uscular tissues and the stretch- 

 ing of the wall from gas accumulation. The distension as well 

 as the spasmodic muscular contractions may lead to rupture of 

 the intestine, along with pressure upon the neighboring organs 

 antl the large blood vessels of the abdominal cavity. The 

 stretching of the nerve fibres (splanchnic) with its reflex effect 

 upon the heart, the continuous vomiting and the absorption of 

 toxic substances, make up a group of processes which, with rapid 

 loss of strength, cause the death of the animal. In conditions in 

 which strangulation of the bowel causes the occlusion there are 

 added to the above phenomena disturbances of the blood cir- 

 culation in the intestine, venous congestion, congestive haemor- 

 rhages and transudates, and gangrene. Gangrene necessarily 

 must result from the penetration of the intestinal bacteria into 

 the tissues which are engorged with blood, without the least cir- 

 culation and therefore necrosing. 



Diseases of the Liver. — The manifold functions of the liver 

 make it easilv realized that any alTection of this organ which is 



