R E C 



In this circumflance, the furjjeon (liould take the oppor- 

 tunity of removing them with a knife, after having tied 

 their root, or even without this precaution. The Uning of 

 the reftum, frfeed from the weight of the tumour, imme- 

 diately retrafts, and if tlie polypus fliould have received a 

 fupply of blood from a large velfel, hemorrhage may enfue. 

 Such accident may be remedied by completely diltending 

 the wounded part of the reftum with a large piece of 

 fponge, or with a comprefs of lint ; but as it is eafier to 

 prevent the hsemorrhage altogether, than to flop it after 

 it h:is occurred, we would advife furgeons, whenever the 

 excrefcence is of any fize, always to tic its root before 

 removing the reft of it witii a cutting inftrument. 



Rectum, Prolapfus of. See Prolapsus Am. 



Rectum, Snrrho-contraSed. Scirrhus of the reAum is 

 not uncommon at an advanced period of life. Sometimes it 

 extends over a confiderable length of the gut, but generally 

 it is more circumfcnbed. The coats of the bowel become 

 much thicker and harder than in the natural Hate. The 

 mufcular coat is fubdivided by membranous fepta, and the 

 internal coat is fometimes formed into hard irregular folds. 

 The furface of the inner membrane is occafionally ulcerated, 

 fo as to form a cancerous difeafe. Every veflige of the 

 natural ftru(Surc is occafionally loft, and the gut is changed 

 into a griftly fubftance. The cavity of the bowel is always 

 rendered narrow at the fcirrhous part, and is fometimes 

 ali«oft obliterated. When the paflage through the gut 

 is much obilru£led, the bowel is always a good deal en- 

 larged juft above the ftoppage, or ttrifture, from the accu- 

 mulation of the feces there. As the difeafe advances, adhe- 

 fions form between the reftum and adjacent parts, and 

 ulcerations produce communications between them. 



The difeafe is ufually not much noticed till fomewhat 

 advanced, not being at firlt very painful. The patient 

 only thinks that he is coftive, and that he voids his ftools 

 with a little difficulty. In time, a good deal of pain is 

 felt in the part affefted, efpecially at ftool, after which fome 

 relief is experienced. Pus and blood may fometimes be 

 noticed with the excrement, particularly when the difeafe 

 has advanced to the ulcerated ftate. The patient at length 

 becomes fallow, the conilitution fuffers, and diflblution 

 follows. Severe tenefmus attends the whole courfe of the 

 difeafe. 



Default has often feen the difeafe form a communication 

 between the redlum and vagina, and the feces have paffed 

 tllrough the latter part. In the latter ftage of the affliftion, 

 the reftum, bladder, vagina, uterus, and adjacent parts, are 

 all involved in one common ulceration. 



When the difeafe has attained the ulcerated ft:ate, it is 

 probably always incurable. Palliatives can now only be 

 reforted to, fuch as anodyne and emollient gly iters, the 

 warm-bath, &c. with the exhibition of medicines like opium, 

 cicuta, uva urfi, &c. Claudius applied his remedies to the 

 infide of the bowel by means of tents, and did not employ 

 the latter as a mode of curing the difeale, when lefs ad- 

 vanced. Valfalva ufed to introduce a cannula pierced 

 with numerous holes, when his patient got into the bath, 

 fo as to let the fluid enter the inteftine. Numerous prac- 

 titioners, among them Morgagni, made mercurials the bafe 

 of their treatment, from a fuppofition that the complaint 

 was of venereal origin. 



When the difeale is not attended with ulceration, the 

 contraftion and thickening of the gut may be diminiftied 

 by introducing bougies, keeping them for a certain time, 

 every day, fo introduced, and incrcaiing tlieir fize gradually. 

 The preft'ure of thefe inftruments feems to lefTen the difeafe, 

 and ftop its progreis ; a proof that its nature differs from 



Vol. XXIX. 



R E C 



that of what is ufually underftood by (lirrlms. Default 

 ufed to employ lung tents, made of hnt, fmeared with 

 cerate, and palFed into the bowel by means of a probe, with 

 a forked end. This furgeon gradually increafed the fize 

 of the tents, fo as to contmuc the comprefllon, to which he 

 conceived all the good was owing. Their length was alib 

 augmented by degrees. Frefh ones vit^ro:, at firft, intro- 

 duced twice every day. When any hardnefFcs were fituated 

 on the outfide of the anus. Default cured them on the fame 

 principle, vi-z. by making pretfure on them with comprefles 

 and a bandage. Tliis eminent furgeon cfre(',ted a cure of a 

 fcirrho-contradted re£tum by this method. The woman 

 was taught to pafs occafionally the tents herfelf, fo as to 

 prevent a relapfe. The diieafe is faid to afflia women 

 more frequently than men : from a comparative table kept 

 at the Hotel-Dieu, this has been the cafe there in the pro- 

 portion of ten to one. See CEuvres Chirurgicales de De- 

 fault, torn. ii. p. 422. 



Rectum, Hemorrhoidal Stuellings of. See Hemorrhoids. 



Rectum, in Laiv. See Recto. 



Rectum, in our old Laiu IVrilers, ib alfo ufed for a trial 

 or accufation. 



Rectum, Commune, denotes a trial at law, or in the com. 

 mon courfe of law. Stare ad redtim, denotes to ftand a 

 trial. Rc3um rogare, to petition the judge to do right. 



RECTUS, in Anatomy, a name applied to feveral mu!"- 

 cles, generally, but not invariably, diftinguifhed by the 

 ftraightnefs of their fibres, or of their general direction. 



Rectus abdominis. See ObliqUUS. 



Rectus abducens, or externus, ") 



Rectus adducens, or Interni/s, i mufcles of the globe of 



Rectus attollens, or fuperior, (" the eye. See Eye. 



Rectus deprimens, or inferior, J 



Rectus fln/.r/>rr«m, or /-.;,,on,,l ^>"°"y'"s of the 



Rectus extenfor cruris, or fcmoris, f K'iCTUS cruris ; 

 ■' J which fee. 



Rectus capitis anticus major et minor. Sec Rectus 

 internus. 



Rectus capitis internus major, redlus anticus major, tra- 

 chelo-fous-occipiticn ; a mufcle of the head, flattened, broader 

 and thicker above than below, occupying the anterior and 

 lateral part of the neck, and reaching from the tranfverfe 

 procefs of the fixth cervical vertebra, to the inferior furface 

 of the bafilary procefs of the occiput. Its anterior furface 

 is covered by the carotid artery, tlie internal jugular vein, 

 the nerve of the eighth pair, the great fympathetic, and the 

 pharynx. The longus colli, the redtus capitis internus 

 minor, the articulations of the occciput and atlas, and of 

 the latter bone, and the fccond vertebra, are covered by it.i 

 pofterior furface. The inner edge lies on the longus colh, 

 and is connefted to it by cellular fubftance : the outer is 

 fixed to the front of the tranfverfe procefles of the fixth, 

 fifth, fourth, and third cervical vertebra, and is unattached 

 above the latter. The lower end, very thin and pointed, is 

 fixed to the tranfverfe procefs of the fixth cervical vertebra : 

 it afcends with a little obliquity from witliout inwards, in- 

 creafing in breadth and thicknefs : it approaches the mufcle 

 of the oppofite fide, and is attached by its upper ejid to 

 the bafilary procefs of thff occipital bone, in front of the 

 foramen magnum. At the upper part of this mufcle is a 

 broad and thin aponeurofis, which defcends on the anterior 

 and inner furface : the attachments to the tranfverfe pro- 

 ceffes are by fmall tendons terminating in mufcular portions. 

 The mufcular fibres run obliquely between the laft mentioned 

 tendons and the aponeurofis. 



This mufcle bends tlie head forwards on the neck ; atid 



reftores it after it has been carried backwards. The mufcle 



3Z of 



