The treatment of mucomembranous colitis by colostomy / by John M. Elder.

  • Elder, John Munro, 1859-
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The treatment of mucomembranous colitis by colostomy / by John M. Elder. 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.

    4/12 (page 2)
    leave the South, went to New York, and was in a hospital there in July, 1901, from which he was discharged “ improved.” ’ He lost considerable weight, and was not free from symptoms, except when at rest and on a strict milk diet. At various times diarrhoea has been very bad, alternating with constipation for a few days in the intervals, after which he always passed more “ slime ” and blood than usual. He came to Montreal about four months before his admission to the Montreal General Hospital, on December 31, 1901, where he remained in one of the medical wards till March 5, 1902, and was discharged “ improved.” While in the hospital frequent careful examina- tions failed to reveal any Amoeba’ coli, and a care- ful search for tubercle bacilli was also negative. He had a slight attack of pleurisy, but examina- tion of the sputum showed no tubercle bacilli, and an x ray examination of the chest revealed nothing abnormal. During this period he fre- quently passed large mucous casts of the bowel, notably one three inches and a half long and sev- eral inches wide. No evidence of liver abscess was found, and a diagnosis of mucomembranous colitis was made. On March 20, 1902. he was readmitted to the medical side, suffering from the same symptoms, and my confrere, Dr. F. G. Finley, under whose care he was in the medical ward, suggested to me to try colostomy in his case, and, with that end in view, he transferred him to my ward on April 26, 1902. At that time he was having between three and eight stools daily, containing mucus, blood, and undigested food, watery and brown in color. He was mark- edly neurasthenic. On May 3, 1902, under ether anaesthesia, a right sided inguinal colostomy was done. The caecum was brought up and sutured to the parie- tal opening, after I had first removed the appen-