COLICS or THE SOLIPEt) 17 



nervous system and the physical state of the organism 

 as a whole. 



Laryngeal, pharyngeal or esophageal stenosis or ob- 

 struction, pregnancy, retained placenta and hernia are 

 unlikely to be confused with colic and may be quickly 

 disposed of. The careful practitioner after securing a 

 complete history of any of these cases will observe in the 

 multiplicity of idiopathic or pathognomonic symptoms 

 adequate means for their differentiation from true colic 

 and from one another. 



Colicky Pains from Poisoning 



Grouping next the various poisonings by irritants — 

 pathologic conditions produced directly by irritant inor- 

 ganic and organic preparations, of the latter more par- 

 ticularly the alipathic and cyclic compounds which include 

 certain of the ammonia derivatives, as amids, alkaloids, 

 ptomains, and toxins, we observe that as far as their- ac- 

 tion upon the digestive tract is concerned, they produce 

 lesions and symptoms allied or identical to gastro-enter- 

 itis ; hence, we will include them and for the moment 

 consider them jointly with gastro-enteritis, enteritis and 

 peritonitis as it becomes necessary to present material 

 sufficiently competent to separate them collectively or 

 individually from the condition we purpose to interpret 

 as true colic. 



Of course, we acknowledge that it is only through 

 broad generalization that we can include the multiplicity 

 of morbid conditions arising from these causes into a 

 summary of one or even. two types of disease. Such lib- 

 erties are taken through assuming that the reader is aware 

 that poisoning exhibits certain characteristics aside from 



