The tumor must be removed. I am not
in favor of indiscriminate operating, but operations often save lives. I
remember one case in which I very strongly urged the lady to have an
operation performed. It was a case of ascites, caused, as I was sure, by a
tumor of the ovary. The lady, as almost all people do,--and I do not blame
them for it,--dreaded even the thought of an operation, but she was
finally compelled to have an operation or die. She filled so full that it
was almost impossible for her to breathe. She went away from home in
terrible shape, almost out of breath, and returned home a well woman and
has remained so. Such cases formerly died. But not all cases of ascites
can be cured by an operation, it depends upon the cause. In many cases all
one can do is to doctor the cause, if that cannot be removed, make the
patient's remaining days as comfortable as possible.

DISEASES OF THE RECTUM AND ANUS.--The lower part of the alimentary canal
is called the rectum, originally meaning straight. It is not straight in
the human animal. It is six to eight inches long. The anus is the lower
opening of the rectum. In health it is closed by the external Sphincter
(closing muscle). Disease may wear this muscle out and then the anus
remains open, causing the contents of the bowel to move involuntary.

CONSTIPATION. Causes.--1. Mechanical obstruction.

2. Defective motion of the bowels.

3. Deficient bowel secretions.

4. Other causes. Mechanical obstruction.--Anything that will hinder the
free and easy passage of the feces (bowel contents). Too tight external
sphincter (rectum) muscle, stricture, tumors, etc. Bending of the womb on
the bowel.

Defective Worm-like Bowel Movement.--Irregular habits of living head the
list causing this defective action. Everyone should promptly attend to
Nature's call. Some people wait until the desire for stool has all gone,
and in that way the "habit" of the bowels is gradually lost. Everyone
should go to stool at a certain regular time each day, and at any other
time when Nature calls. If a person heeds this call of Nature, the call
will come regularly at the proper time, say every morning after breakfast.
If these sensations (Nature's calls) are ignored day after day, the mucous
membrane soon loses its sensitiveness and the muscular coat its tonicity,
and as a result, large quantities of fecal matter may accumulate in the
sigmoid (part of the bowel) or in the rectum without exciting the lea