Supplementary rectal alimentation, and especially by defibrinated blood, as applicable to a large range of cases in which nutritive enemata have not heretofore been employed / by Andrew H. Smith.

  • Smith, Andrew H. (Andrew Heermance), 1837-1910
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Supplementary rectal alimentation, and especially by defibrinated blood, as applicable to a large range of cases in which nutritive enemata have not heretofore been employed / by Andrew H. Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    tive enemata, but never found that any advantage resulted from carrying the injection into the colon. Of course, it would be superfluous to do so if the fluid finds its way there of itself within a short time after it is thrown into the rectum. As might be expected, there are occasionally inconveni- ences attending this treatment, and which may be so serious as to compel its abandonment. In the first place the rectum may be so irritable that the injections will be immedi- ately returned. This has happened only two or three times out of eighty cases, of which I have notes. Again, the in- jections may be retained for a while, but may produce severe colicky pains. Both these difficulties may sometimes be met successfully by giving the blood at first in very small quan- tities warmed, and with the addition of a little tincture of opium. The bowel usually becomes more tolerant by habit. More or less constipation occurs in perhaps one-third of the cases. In a case related to me by Dr. Seguin, he was obliged to give up the treatment on account of a very fetid odor emanating from the person. This was also noticed in one of my-cases but it continued only a few hours. In another case in the practice of Dr. A. E. M. Purdy, the patient refused to go on with the treatment because, as she averred, she tasted the blood. In two cases the discharges were so very offensive as to cause serious annoyance in the house. One of the patients was taking on his own responsibility 270 grams (9 ozs.) of blood every night. When the quantity was divided and half of it given in the morning, the difficulty nearly ceased. In one case of ovarian neuralgia, not attended by anaemia, nervous irritability and insomnia were produced. With these exceptions no cases have come to my knowl- edge in which the use of the blood has been attended by any ill effects. The cases which I have treated, or of which I have notes
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