The symptoms of this are cramping pains in the abdomen, without fever or looseness of the bowels. The colic sometimes occurs after the cessation of a diarrhoea that had been induced by severe cathartics. The pains are cutting and straining, drawing the bowels into knots, relieved temporarily by pressure.
For a male, _Nux Vom._, and for a female, _Pulsatilla_ will generally afford immediate relief. In children, especially, where diarrhoea exists, _Chamomilla_ should be used. If it is the result of severe cathartics, or if there is a soreness or a bruised feeling, _Colocynth_ is the remedy. Hot injections into the rectum, and large quantities of warm water taken into the stomach, will often _cure colic_.
This disease, in addition to the symptoms of cutting, cramping pains in the bowels, as in common colic, has great distress in the stomach, with nausea and vomiting, the bowels being costive, the feet and hands cold, sometimes cold sweats occur. There is also considerable fever, and frequently headache is present. The substance vomited is at first dark bilious matter, but if the case continues a long time, stercoraceous (fecal) matter will be thrown up.
_Colocynth_ is the most important remedy, and should be given early and constantly. _Podophyllin_ is next in importance, and it should be given in alternation with the former, the dose to be repeated as often as every half hour at first, and as the patient becomes easy, at longer intervals. In this, as in the former case, great benefit will be derived from large injections of quite warm water, and let it be taken into the stomach freely, as hot as can be safely swallowed. I have given a gallon of hot water in the course of two hours, to a patient suffering under this disease, the first half pint being rejected, but the balance remaining, perfect relief having been experienced. If fever continues after the colic and nausea cease, _Baptisia_ and _Aconite_ should be given alternately every hour until the fever subsides. If the patient is, and has been, for some time, costive, _Nux Vomica_ should be given once in six or eight hours until the bowels move. Injections may also be used.
This disease generally comes on at night, in hot weather, and is, in many cases, induced by over eating while the patient is suffering from diarrhoea and a deranged state of the liver. It is essentially of a bilious character. It sets in with great pain in the bowels, sickness at the stomach, and vomiting of large quantities of dark greenish bitter tasting substance. At first, the vomiting will seem to afford relief, but sooner or later the stomach and bowels cramp, and the cramping may extend to other parts of the body, the feet, hands, calves of the legs, and the arms, cold sweats come on, and death terminates his sufferings.