An inaugural essay on the absorption of bile : submitted to the consideration of the Honourable Robert Smith, provost, and of the regents of the University of Maryland / by Robert W. Ervin of South Carolina Charleston District member of the Baltimore Medical Society.

  • Ervin, Robert W. (Robert William), 1787-1849.
Date:
1813
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inaugural essay on the absorption of bile : submitted to the consideration of the Honourable Robert Smith, provost, and of the regents of the University of Maryland / by Robert W. Ervin of South Carolina Charleston District member of the Baltimore Medical Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    JO dependance of complete digestion and chylifieation on the properties of bile, its absence in the duodenum would be a cause alone sufficient to produce all the phenomena mentioned above, appertaining to the stomach and bowels, such as indigestion, flatulency, nausea and vomiting; the want of colour in the excretions from the bowels, evinces the absence of bile; and a consequent torpor and inactivity in the bowels show the want of that neces- sary stimulus afforded by the bile in the intestines, which torpor, in long continued cases of jaundice, extends through the whole system, producing langour and lassitude. In almost every case of Jaundice a constipation of the bowels attends; this arises from the want of bile in the intestines, which slate of costiveness increases the disposition to vomiting ami headaeh. This disease is seldom attended with much fever,- the pulse in the first stage of it is gene- rally quick, frequent and tense, but rarely ever full and bounding, as in synoeha. The worst state of this disease, is attended with hiccup, rigors, and chilliness. It is probable that these phenomena proceed from an abscess formed in some part of the substance of the liver in consequence of in- flammation in that organ; or, from the great irritation of the obstructing cause, acting sympathetically on the nerves of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, and thereby in- duce singultus, tremors, &c. The symptoms last mentioned seldom occur in Jaundice, and when they do the disease generally terminates fatally. In some cases of immovea- ble obstruction to the passage of bile, the tone of the alimentary canal is so far enervated that the system, for the want of nutrition, gradually sinks, with emaciation and