A practical treatise on the diseases of the rectum / by Alfred Cooper.

Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A practical treatise on the diseases of the rectum / by Alfred Cooper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    excrescences about the anus, when inflamed and painful, should be treated by astring-ent lotions and cold; afterwards they should be removed by the knife or scissors, care being’ taken not to cut away too much integ’ument; cases are by no means rare in which much misery has been caused by the loo free use of the scissors. In treating’ a case of external piles, it is desirable to ascertain whether internal haemorrhoids are likewise present. After the active symptoms of external haemorrhoids have been relieved, the patient’s diet and habits of life should receive careful attention. Constipation, if pre- sent, must be obviated by mild purgatives; confection of senna, compound liquorice powder, or some one or other of the natural bitter waters may be taken with advantage. Carlsbad salts are especially useful when a gouty tendency exists. The diet should be simple and contain a large proportion of vegetables ; stimu- lants should be prohibited, and over-exertion of all kinds should be avoided. The skin should be attended to, and the parts about the anus should be washed night and morning with cold water. Treatment of Internal HcBmorrhoids.—This may be discussed under two heads (a) Palliative and (b) Radical. In all cases of internal piles the cause of the malady should be discovered and treated or removed if pos- sible. If, as often happens, there be evidences of hepatic congestion, attention to diet, the withdrawal of stimulants and the use of alteratives and laxatives will relieve the haemorrhoidal troubles; and this kind of treatment, if adopted in the early stages, may pre-