Enteralgia and chronic peritonitis / by A. Jacobi.

  • Jacobi, A. (Abraham), 1830-1919.
Date:
[1889]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Enteralgia and chronic peritonitis / by A. Jacobi. 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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    Primary peritonitis of any kind is very rare; and then mostly traumatic, the result of wounds, probing and paracentesis for as- cites included. Many more result from exposure—“ cold.” Most cases are of a secondary nature, with very numerous causes. It may arise under the influence of general diseases— rheumatism, alcoholism, scarlatina, measles, erysipelas, malaria, scurvy, tuberculosis, and carcinosis. The inflammation of the neighboring thoracic cavity may be transmitted through the patent stomata of the lymph ducts on the upper and lower sur- face of the diaphragm; and disorders of circulation depending on pulmonary and cardiac diseases will result in congestion of the peritoneum, both visceral and parietal, with its possible conse- quences—viz., inflammation, or ascites, or both. The presence of new formations in the abdominal cavity acts like that of a foreign body. Adhesions to an unexpected extent are often found during ovariotomies. A sarcoma of the kidney is often glued to the colon in front of it, or to other intestines; swelled pelvic glands, in connection with irritated inguinal and tumefied mesenteric glands, will often be found with second- ary peritonitis. A young woman, whom 1 saw dying with acute peritonitis, had been affected with purpura for some weeks; at the autopsy, that peritonitis was found to be the consequence of lnemorrhages from some ruptured vessels of the diaphragm. Floating kidney, bv its changing position and irritating con- tact with the peritoneum, is quite liable to light up a chronic in- flammatory process, thus becoming fixed by adhesions, and dislo- cated after having been floating. Affections of the vertebral column and adjoining organs will produce peritonitis; so will spondylitis, mostly tubercular, and abscesses of the bone; also thoracic abscesses following the course of the fascia downwards ; and abscesses of the psoas and iliac muscles, or perforating abscesses of the socket of the hip-joint. Amongst the most frequent causes of peritonitis are catarrhal and inflammatory diseases of the female sexual organs. Beside the opportunities afforded by menstruation—viz., salpingitis, para- metritis, perimetritis, and endometritis—-there is no more fre- quent mischief than that originating in the sexual functions of woman. Cohabitation is sometimes, the puerperal state very of- ten, the cause of persistent peritonitis,