Part of a Letter to the Publisher from Dr Davies concerning an Unusual Colic

I. Part of a Letter to the Publisher from Dr Davies concerning an unusual Colic. Birmingham, Oct. 5th. 1701. SIR, Last May, my Ingenious Friend Dr Shaw of Tamworth, was pleased to desire my assistance in the following case. A person, aged between 50 and 60, had been for 3 or 4 years past troubled with Gripes, which generally return'd once a month, or thereabouts; his Body for the most part costive, and therefore was forced to spur Nature with Daffy's Elixir or Aloes; sometimes the smoking a Pipe of Tobacco, supply'd the use of these Medicines. Last April coming from London heated himself very much with his Journey, having walked a good part of the way, and as soon as he came home, had a return of his Colic pains, which continued upon him for 18 days, notwithstanding the methods commonly used in that case, during which time he had no Stool, besides what the first and second Clysters brought away; his complaint upon his seizure was of a pain in his right side in the Regio Iliaca. Some time before he dyed his Belly swelled much, and was as tense as any Drum, he vomited for 2 or 3 days at the beginning, which left him, and returned not till just before he dyed, which was at the expiration of the 18th day, at which time he brought up 2 or 3 mouthfuls of black Choler; but never during his whole illness vomited any excrement. Dr Shaw who lived upon the spot, prevail'd to have an hasty Inspection of his Abdomen, the Relations (it being a thing Male fame in that Neighbourhood) desired it might be done with all secrecy and expedition, which which prevented the Doctors taking so nice a view of all the parts within the Abdomen as he would otherwise have done. He found some black Choler in the Stomach, the Duodenum and the rest of the Intestina tenuia void of excrement; but incredibly distemper'd with Wind, and tracing the Canalis of the Guts as far as the Cecum, found that of a blackish colour; and from thence for about a yard in length, the Colon mortified and so rotten, that the Excrements had made their way thro' it at several places into the Cavity of the Abdomen; about 2 inches of the mortified Gut was fastened to the Peritoneum on the right side. This part of the Colon was so extended with excrements of a soft consistence, that they when taken out filled two Chamber-pots; at the extremity of the mortification, towards the Rectum the obstruction which occasioned all these misfortunes offered itself to view very plainly; for about ten inches of the Colon was doubled, as if you had taken a piece of Tape, and folded it the two contiguous surfaces of the duplicature adhered so firmly together, that you could not separate them without tearing the exterior coat of the Intestine. Upon separating this coalescence, there fell from that part a whitish Mucus, the adhesion was about 3 inches broad; the middle of the Duplicature which made the acute angle, and where the excrements stopped, was smaller, and the Membranes thinner than in any other part of the Gut; from thence towards the Rectum the Colon was sound, and void of excrements, occasioned by the frequent use of Clysters.