Prefatory.

That man is guilty of a most reprehensible foolhardiness who undertakes any of the operations herein recommended without first familiarizing himself with the anatomy of the rectum under the conditions specified.

The benefit which accrues to the obstipated patient is measured by the judgment and skill which the operator exercises in the selection of his subject, in the application of the proposed methods, and in the subsequent treatment of his patient.

Obstipation may be defined as that condition of obstructed defecation which is due to the presence in the rectum of an organic obstacle to the descent of the feces through it. Constipation, on the other hand, is that condition of delayed defecation which results from a prolonged retention of the feces in higher portions of the gut. Constipation may exist independently of any obstruction and may be due to any of several causes, such, for instance, as faulty habits and diet, imperfect innervation or modified secretion—the consequence of disease or accident. Obstipation and constipation may coexist.