250 On Chronic DebUity 



is usually necessaiy, on such occasions, even In a hot 

 night. After riding several hours, he became severely 

 chilled. He continued his journey till some time after 

 midnight, and when he stopped went immediately to bed, 

 without taking food, or even v/arming himself. He had 

 pot been long in bed before he was forced to rise, from 

 severe pain in the bowels, and in a few minutes he dis- 

 charged more than four quarts of fiuid foecal matter, chief- 

 ly mucus. This was doubtless owing to the torpor, in- 

 duced on the whole surface of the body, by means of the 

 chill, and the consequent retreat of the mass of fluids to- 

 wards the intestines. Is not the latter event in all res- 

 pects, except its frequency, as extraordinary as. the for- 

 mer? Let it be further remembered, that the foecal 

 matter which is discharged in many cases of diarrhea/ 

 and dysentery, induced in a manner similar to that in the 

 case specified, is highly acrid, so as often to excoriate 

 the intestines ; may I not sa}' so as in son^e instances to 

 occasion death ? Whence does this acrimony arise ? — 

 Surely not from a fermentation of the alimentary matter ? 

 The next subject of enquiry is, whether the acid in ques- 

 tion, may not be occasioned by a decomposition of the 

 gastric liquor ? For a considerable period I remained 

 at a loss to determine, wdiether we must look to this 

 cause, for the source of the evil, or to a morbid secretion 

 of that liquor. Having not long ago investigated the 

 subject more minutely, I have become satisfied, that it is 

 ov/ing to the latter cause ; and in no instance to the for- 

 mer, where the fiuid is secreted in a healthy state, that is, 

 possessed of its usual properties, and no other. In all oth- 

 er cases the acid is occasioned by a fermentation of the 

 alimentary matter. The reasons which have led to this 

 conclusion, I will proceed to state. 



1. In several cases which have been stated, and in oth- 

 ers which might be, there appears to be no cause ade- 

 quate to the production of a decomposition of the gastric 

 liquor ; if we admit that that fluid was secreted in a healthy 

 state. There is no unnatural heat in the stomach, nor 

 any known chemical agent, introduced by the mouth. 

 The effect, also, is often too sudden, and too considera- 



