Part 3 (2/2)
”In 1880 I lost a patient with inflammation of the bowels, and requested of the friends the privilege of holding a post-mortem examination, as I was satisfied that there was some foreign substance in or near the Ileo-coecal valve, or in that apparently useless appendage, the Appendicula Vermiformis. (See explanation of engraving.)
”The autopsy developed a quant.i.ty of grape seed and popcorn, filling the lower enlarged pouch of the colon and the opening into the Appendicula Vermiformis. This, from the mortified and blackened condition of the colon alone, indicated that my diagnosis was correct.
I opened the colon throughout its entire length of five feet, and found it filled with faecal matter encrusted on its walls and into the folds of the colon, in many places dry and hard as slate, and so completely obstructing the pa.s.sage of the bowels as to throw him into violent colic (as his friends stated), sometimes as often as twice a month, for years, and that powerful doses of physic was his only relief; that all the doctors had agreed that it was bilious colic. I observed that this crusted matter was evidently of long standing, the result of years of acc.u.mulation, and although the remote cause, not the immediate cause of his death. The sigmoid-flexure (see engraving), or bend in the colon on the left side, was especially full, and distended to double its natural size, filling the gut uniformly, with a small hole the size of one's little finger through the center, through which the recent faecal matter pa.s.sed. In the lower part of the sigmoid-flexure, just before descending to form the r.e.c.t.u.m, and in the left hand upper corner of the colon as it turns toward the right, were pockets eaten out of the hardened faecal matter, in which were eggs of worms and quite a quant.i.ty of maggots, which had eaten into the sensitive mucous membrane, causing serious inflammation of the colon and its adjacent parts, and as recent investigation has established as a fact, were the cause of his hemorrhoids, or piles, which I learned were of years' standing. The whole length of the colon was in a state of chronic inflammation; still this man considered himself well and healthy until the unfortunate eating of the grape seed and popcorn, and had no trouble in getting his life insured in one of the best companies in America.
”I have been thus explicit in this description, from the fact that recent investigation has developed the fact that in the discovery described above, I had found but a prototype of at least seven-tenths of the human family in civilized life--the real cause of all diseases of the human body, excepting the grape seed and popcorn. That I had found the fountain of premature old age and death, for, as surprising as it may seem, out of 284 cases of autopsies held of late on the colon (they representing in their death nearly all the diseases known to our climate), but twenty-eight colons were found to be free from hardened, adhered matter, and in their normal healthy state, and that the 256 were all more or less as described above, except, perhaps, the grape seeds and popcorn. In many of them the colon was distended to double its natural size throughout its whole length, with a small hole through the center, and as far as could be learned, these last cases spoken of had regular evacuations of the bowels each day. Many of the colons contained large maggots from four to six inches long, and pockets of eggs and maggots, while blood and pus were frequently present.”
The question is often asked, and naturally so, why this unnatural acc.u.mulation is in the colon? The horse and ox promptly obey the call of nature; they know no time or place, and are blessed with clean colons. So are the natives of Africa. But the demands of civilized life insist upon a time and place. Business, etiquette, opportunity, and a thousand and one excuses stand continually in the way, and nature's call is put off to a more convenient time and place.
How many people are not presentable to themselves or friends, owing to the putrid smell of their bodies, so that in polite society strong colognes and other perfumes are used. Show me a woman who girts her waist with corsets or any tight clothing, and I will warrant you that the smell from her body will be sickening in the extreme. The special reason for this is, that the lacing comes immediately where the transverse colon crosses her body. Now, if the sigmoid-flexure becomes loaded, because of its folding upon itself, how much more will the transverse colon become clogged if unnaturally folded upon itself by compression from each side folding it, as demonstrated in some instances, almost double the whole length, into two extra elbows, where it, if natural; is straight (see engraving on next page). Many reasons have been given by physiologists and humanitarians, why it is injurious for the lady to lace, but this reason outweighs them all.
Wear the clothing loose, clean out the colon and heal it up, and you will smell sweet, and life will be a continual blessing; for if the main sewer in the body is closed or clogged, nature has but three other outlets: the capillaries or pores of the skin, the lungs in exhalation, or the kidneys. If the colon is clogged, the penned-up acid permeations of the stomach and duodenum will have to seek other outlets, which is indicated by the putrid smell of the body and a foul breath with finally dyspepsia, and what is usually termed biliousness, torpid liver, etc.
The condition of the colon (the physiological sewer) in the average adult having been demonstrated, does it need any argument to convince the intelligent thinker that the most rational and practical manner of dealing with this hot-bed of filth and breeding place of disease, is to wash it out?
With me, it has pa.s.sed beyond the theoretical stage, for I have in my office fully 15,000 grateful letters from patients who have used this process, under my direction, with the most astounding results; scarcely a disease known to humanity, but has been relieved, and in ninety-five per cent. of cases, cures effected; while tens of thousands of gratifying messages have reached me from time to time; nor is the testimony in its favor confined to the laity, for hundreds of physicians (including some of the most prominent authorities) testify to the wonderfully beneficial results achieved by its use.
We now come to the most important feature of the subject--the means for putting it into practice, for it will readily be admitted that such an admirable and common-sense method of treatment should have the most perfect means procurable for its application, but until the present time the available means have remained crude and undeveloped. This, however, is scarcely to be wondered at. It is the history of all important discoveries.
Those great natural forces, steam and electricity, although their value was recognized, yet required the aid of inventive genius to develop their possibilities; in fact, it has required three-fourths of a century to bring the locomotive to its present state of perfection, while the potentialities of electricity are as yet only surmised. This being so in matters that offer a rich pecuniary harvest to the inventor, it is little matter for surprise that improvement in a means of combating disease should progress slowly. In the first place, it was a new departure, unheralded to the world, and frowned upon by the members of the orthodox medical schools; consequently there was no tempting bait of a handsome profit to encourage the inventor, and until lately the indifference to matters pertaining to health was proverbial.
When Dr. Hall commenced his famous experimentation upon himself, the only appliance available for the purpose was the old-fas.h.i.+oned bulb syringe, which is simply a flexible rubber tube with an egg-shaped receptacle in the center. One end of the tube is inserted in the r.e.c.t.u.m, while the other end is immersed in a vessel of water, the injection of the fluid being accomplished by alternately compressing and relaxing the bulbous portion. It is needless to say that the process of ”flus.h.i.+ng the colon” copiously, the only effectual way, was a tedious, inconvenient and imperfect matter with such a crude appliance. After the lapse of a great number of years the ”gravity” or ”fountain” syringe was invented, which consisted of a rubber bag with a long flexible tube attached to its lower end. The bag was suspended from a nail or hook several feet above the individual, the water being forced into the body by gravity, the pressure being increased or diminished by raising or lowering the bag. This was a distinct advance upon the bulb syringe, but it still left a great deal to be desired.
In the first place, they are both exceedingly tedious, a serious objection in the case of weakly or elderly people; secondly, both methods necessitate the uncovering of the lower portion of the body, which is decidedly unpleasant; and, most serious of all, it is impossible to prevent the admission of air into the intestine, and that is a fruitful source of pain and discomfort. It should, however, be borne in mind that both of these appliances were devised for an entirely different cla.s.s of operation (namely, v.a.g.i.n.al douching), and were only used for intestinal treatment because there was nothing better at hand.
Another method, sometimes employed by progressive physicians, consists in using, in connection with the fountain syringe, a tube from eighteen to twenty-four inches in length, made of a firm but flexible variety of rubber. This was introduced (its entire length) into the body, the theory being that it was necessary to get behind the impacted ma.s.s and force it out ahead of the water, which was theoretically correct, but in practice found sadly wanting. In the first place, the opening in the eye of the tube became clogged with the faecal matter, and, secondly, with the double tube employed for the return flow, the opening was too small to allow of the pa.s.sage of solid substances. The introduction of the catheter is a process requiring considerable skill, and a perfect acquaintance with the anatomy of the parts, so that personal use of it is practically impossible, or, at least, attended with considerable danger. An examination of the diagram of the digestive apparatus at the beginning of the book will enable the reader to understand the difficulties attending its introduction, since it has to pa.s.s the sigmoid flexure (No. 12), and the splenic flexure--that angle of the colon where the transverse portion turns to descend. With such a tortuous road to travel, the risk of injury to the sensitive mucous membrane is excessive--hence this instrument should never be used by the patient upon himself.
The author, however, felt that there must be an easier and more effective method of irrigating that important organ--the colon--and one unattended with any risk, and determined, if possible, to devise some better way. After much patient and tireless experimenting he invented and perfected the ”J. B. L. Cascade,” a mechanical appliance which completely rids the process of all its objectionable features, and enables young and old, weak and strong, to use the treatment without the possibility of danger. It achieves the desired result far more effectively than any other known apparatus, with the least possible inconvenience to the patient, and yet so gently and easily that the operation, so far from being distressing or disagreeable, becomes a positive gratification.
The letters J. B. L. are the initials of the words Joy, Beauty, Life, which aptly indicate its purpose and effects, for we confidently claim that its use will infallibly confer these three great blessings, it being the one safe and sanative method of regaining and preserving health. Without health there is no joy in life, and perfect beauty cannot possibly exist, while with health life becomes indeed worth living.
One of the gravest objections to all the hitherto existing appliances is the construction of the nozzle, or tube, that is inserted in the body, and through which the water is conveyed. These are all (without exception) made with an aperature in the end, or extreme tip, the consequence being that a small jet of water is continuously directed upon one spot in the delicate and sensitive mucous membrane. With water at the necessary temperature this is a source of grave danger, and likely to result in serious injury, by causing a separation of the various layers of which the membrane is composed. When this separation occurs little slits occur in the rectal lining, in which faecal matter lodges, ultimately forming what are known as pockets, causing, first, irritation, then inflammation, and, finally, results in ”proct.i.tis”-- chronic inflammation of the intestinal ca.n.a.l. The best authorities agree in condemning the direct jet, while rectal specialists regard it as one of their chief aids to income.
With these facts in view, the construction of my ”injection point,” or entering tube, engaged the special attention, finally, with the result that a most successful means of overcoming this dangerous objection has been provided. Instead of the opening in the end, the tip is made absolutely solid, so that the impact of the entering water is not felt at all, while it is provided with six rows of perforations on the sides, through which the water is evenly diffused over the walls of the r.e.c.t.u.m, which is a most desirable thing in cases of hemorrhoids or rectal inflammations. It is also so constructed that the natural constriction of the sphincter muscles holds it firmly in position in the r.e.c.t.u.m, and while affording the water free pa.s.sage into the colon, it prevents the escape of the fluid externally, thus rendering soiled garments impossible.
But the simplicity of the operation is one of its chief advantages, for the patient sits upon the appliance in ease and comfort while receiving the cleansing stream, and by following the directions the time occupied in the operation need not exceed fifteen minutes, or about one-fourth of the time required by other methods--an unmistakably valuable saving of time and strain to busy or weakly people. The faucet is considered by experts as a most valuable feature, on account of the ”dome” portion, which accurately fits the natural arch formed by the limbs when the body is in the seated position.
Many people are accustomed to use the bulb and fountain syringes in a reclining position and some physicians recommend the patient to kneel in the bath tub, with the body bent well forward: an irksome, disagreeable position and quite unnecessary. The theory is, that the water will flow into the body by gravitation, but they overlook the fact that the ascending and descending portions of the colon, being parallel in the body, the water, while flowing readily into the descending portions, would have to flow uphill in the ascending portions and by the time it reached there, the force would be exhausted. The weight of the body furnishes greater force, which is proportioned to the size and bulk of the patient, but is not perceptible to him, on account of the solid construction of the tip of the ”injection point,” while the steady, uniform pressure exerted serves to distend the walls of the colon and thus liberate adherent matter. By far the great majority of people, however, use these crude appliances while seated over a vessel, which is decidedly injurious.
By reference to the diagram of the digestive organs it will be seen that the ”descending colon,” that portion which terminates in the r.e.c.t.u.m, is larger than either of the other divisions of that organ. In fact, its capacity (in the average adult) is about three pints, equivalent to three pounds. Now this weight, in a flexible organ like the colon, must cause a sagging down, exerting a serious strain upon its attachments to the abdominal wall, and by its pressure upon the sphincters will induce prolapse of the r.e.c.t.u.m. That is one reason why so many people find it almost impossible to receive enough water to make the treatment successful. When a physician, or trained nurse, is administering a high enema, it is a common practice to hold a folded towel against the r.e.c.t.u.m, to guard against this pressure and its possible results. The ”dome” portion of the faucet (previously referred to) affords the desired support, automatically and effectually prevents any prolapse; while the handle of the faucet, projecting forward, between the limbs, may be manipulated with the greatest ease in controlling the flow of water; and, being seated on a warm cus.h.i.+on, the patient experiences a pleasant, soothing sensation, which completely allays any nervousness.
Moreover, realizing the immense advantage to be obtained by attacking the germs of disease in their chief breeding place, an antiseptic preparation is introduced into the water used in this remedial process, which completely and speedily destroys the germs of disease; but although so potent in its action upon micro-organic life, it is perfectly harmless, even though a hundred times the necessary quant.i.ty should be forced into the intestinal ca.n.a.l. But it is not alone a germ destroyer, for it possesses admirable tonic properties, which act upon the muscular coat of the colon and speedily restores it to its normal condition.
Defecation, or the expulsion of waste substance from the bowel is accompanied by the contraction of the circular fibres of the said muscular coat, but when constipation has existed for any length of time, the acc.u.mulated matter adhering to the walls of the colon renders that organ partially, if not wholly rigid, hence the difficulty of evacuation; consequently, through disuse, the muscles become to a certain extent atrophied, and require stimulation to resume their natural function even after the colon has been cleansed. It is largely owing to the use of this antiseptic ”tonic”
that the ”Cascade Treatment” has been so successful in cases of obstinate constipation, as by its use the intestine speedily regains tone and power.
I unhesitatingly a.s.sert that if the colon be regularly cleansed and disinfected by this means, any bacilli or bacteria that may have obtained a lodgment in the system will be quickly destroyed and expelled--it cannot be otherwise.
And once the germs of disease are destroyed and their chief breeding place kept clean by this simple process, and the re-absorption of poisonous liquid waste into the system thus prevented, Nature, the great physician, will speedily a.s.sert itself and effect a restoration to health.
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