Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health

by S. A. D. Tissot

Chapter XXII.

Of the Iliac Passion, and of the Cholera-morbus.

Sect. 316.

hese violent Diseases are fatal to many Country People, while their Neighbours are frequently so ignorant of the Cause of their Death, that Superstition has ascribed it to Poison, or to Witchcraft.

§ 317. The first of these, the Miserere, or Iliac Passion, is one of the most excruciating Distempers. If any Part of the Intestines, the Cavity of the Guts is closed up, whatever may have occasioned it, the Course or Descent of the Food they contain is necessarily stopped; in which Case it frequently happens, that that continual Motion observed in the Guts of a living Animal dissected, and which was intended to detrude, or force their Contents downwards, is propagated in a directly contrary Manner, from the Guts towards the Mouth.

This Disease sometimes begins after a Constipation, or Costiveness, of some Days; at other Times without that Costiveness having been preceded by Pains in any Part of the Belly, especially around the Navel; but which Pains, gradually increasing after their Commencement, at length become extremely violent, and throw the Patient into excessive Anguish. In some of these Cases a hard Tumour may be felt, which surrounds the Belly like a Cord. The Flatulences within become very audible, some of them are discharged upwards; in a little Time after, Vomitings come on, which increase till the Patient has thrown up all he had taken in, with a still further Augmentation of the excessive Pain. With the first of his Vomitings he only brings up the last Food he had taken, with his Drink and some yellowish Humour: but what comes up afterwards proves stinking; and when the Disease is greatly heightened, they have what is called the Smell of Excrement or Dung; but which rather resembles that of a putrid dead Body. It happens too sometimes, that if the Sick have taken Glysters composed of Materials of a strong Smell, the same Smell is discernible in the Matter they vomit up. I confess however I never saw either real Excrements, or the Substance of their Glysters, brought up, much less the Suppositories that were introduced into the Fundament: and were it credible that Instances of this Kind had occurred, they must be allowed very difficult to account for. Throughout this whole Term of the Disease, the Patient has not a single Discharge by Stool; the Belly is greatly distended; the Urine not seldom suppressed, and at other Times thick and fœtid. The Pulse, which at first was pretty hard, becomes quick and small; the Strength entirely vanishes; a Raving comes on; a Hiccup almost constantly supervenes, and sometimes general Convulsions; the Extremities grow cold, the Pulse scarcely perceivable; the Pain and the Vomiting cease, and the Patient dies very quickly after.

§ 318. As this Disease is highly dangerous, the Moment it is strongly apprehended, it is necessary to oppose it by proper Means and Remedies: the smallest Error may be of fatal Consequence, and hot inflaming Liquids have been known to kill the Patient in a few Hours. I was called in the second Day of the Disease to a young Person, who had taken a good deal of Venice Treacle: Nothing could afford her any Relief, and she died early on the third Day.

This Disease should be treated precisely in the same Manner as an inflammatory Cholic; the principal Difference being, that in the former there are no Stools, but continual Vomitings.

1, First of all then the Patient should be plentifully bled, if the Physician has been called in early enough, and before the Sick has lost his Strength.