Early in the century Revolat reported in Marseilles an
observation of an eminently nervous subject addicted to frequent
abuse as regards diet, who had not had the slightest evacuation
from the bowel for six months. A cure was effected in this case
by tonics, temperance, regulation of the diet, etc. In Tome xv of
the Commentaries of Leipzig there is an account of a man who
always had his stercoral evacuations on Wednesdays, and who
suffered no evil consequences from this abnormality. This state
of affairs had existed from childhood, and, as the evacuations
were abundant and connected, no morbific change or malformation
seemed present. The other excretions were slightly in excess of
the ordinary amount. There are many cases of constipation on
record lasting longer than this, but none with the same
periodicity and without change in the excrement. Tommassini
records the history of a man of thirty, living an ordinary life,
who became each year more constipated. Between the ages of twenty
and twenty-four the evacuations were gradually reduced to one in
eight or ten days, and at the age of twenty-six, to one every
twenty-two days. His leanness increased in proportion to his
constipation, and at thirty his appetite was so good that he ate
as much as two men.
Pages:
1569
1570
1571
1572
1573
1574
1575
1576
1577
1578
1579
1580
1581
1582
1583
1584
1585
1586
1587
1588
1589
1590
1591
1592
1593