The Hahnemannian monthly . horoughly; and if aninternal opening can be found, I excise the borders of this openingand stitch them together, and then lightly pack the canal be-neath, until it heals by granulation from the bottom. Thestoppage of the draining from the rectum into the sinus by at-tention to the internal opening is the particular feature of thismethod, and will often save the necessity of division of thesphincter muscle, with its consequent risk of rectal inconti-nence ; but cases are met with in which nothing short of sever-ing the sphincter would hold out reasonable hope of succe
The Hahnemannian monthly . horoughly; and if aninternal opening can be found, I excise the borders of this openingand stitch them together, and then lightly pack the canal be-neath, until it heals by granulation from the bottom. Thestoppage of the draining from the rectum into the sinus by at-tention to the internal opening is the particular feature of thismethod, and will often save the necessity of division of thesphincter muscle, with its consequent risk of rectal inconti-nence ; but cases are met with in which nothing short of sever-ing the sphincter would hold out reasonable hope of successfulvol. xxxiv.—16 242 The Hahnemannian Monthly. [April, treatment. In such cases only one cut of the muscle shouldever be made at one time, as nothing is more haunting to therectal surgeon than a case of rectal incontinence; and yet evenin these desperate cases surprising results may be obtained bygreat care, with a thorough understanding of just what to this connection I would like to cite a case to which I Avas. called by a brother physician last fall; it was a man 32 yearsold, who had been suffering for eight years with gluteal ab-scesses so numerous and so extensive that his whole buttockspresented an exquisitely sensitive and suppurating mass, ac-companied by excessive and continuous pain, which existednight and day and prevented sleep, and it was altogether impos-sible for him to sit on the affected area, while pus discharged 1899.] Treatment of Rectal Diseases. 243 freely, and, indeed, in large quantities from ten differentopenings situated in adjacent points over the entire glutealarea on both sides, but principally on the right. It was believedto be a case of tuberculosis and probably incurable. I havesome photographs taken two days after the operation, whichwill in some manner show the enormous area occupied by thispyogenic and burrowed-out series of fistulous sinuses andcavities, and the extensive work required to have a reasonablehope of effecting a cure.
Size: 1467px × 1703px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorhomopath, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookyear1865
