The muscular fibres described above likewise enter into the formation
of the anal canal or orifice. This orifice is closed by two strong
muscles that lie close together and are called internal and external
sphincters, which are abundantly supplied with nerves and blood-vessels
whose branches extend to the neighboring organs.

Nine persons in every ten have more or less chronic inflammation of the
mucous membrane of the anus and rectum. In time the areolar and
muscular coats become invaded by the morbid process, and this increases
the irritability of the tissues of the organ.

The change from the normal functions of the anal membranes is slow, and
the symptoms are not well marked and are consequently ignored for years
owing to inexpertness in detecting an invading serious disease, until
the time comes when the suffering can no longer be tolerated by the
victim of the neglect.

The result of disease to muscular tissue is contraction of its fibres,
and the contractions become more painful as the disease increases.
Accompanying the inflammation, there is a more or less inflammatory
product secreted between muscular fibres that "glues" them together in
their contracted state. And as the anal and rectal tubes are made up of
round muscular fibres, it is not hard to see how the bore of the canal
can be lessened by the slow binding together of its fibres in the
contracted state. The fact is that when the anal structure is invaded
by inflammation, there is more or less stricture of the canal and of
the orifice.

Recalling the sleeve illustration, and how the wrist-band was puckered
and bent back a trifle so that the contents of the sleeve would not
pass out so easily, suppose you now pucker the wrist-band rather
tightly, and suppose there is a forcible descent of sand in the sleeve,
the natural result would be a bulging out of the lower portion of the
sleeve just above the wrist-band, or place of undue constriction. If
the abnormally constricted condition of the anal orifice has been
growing from bad to worse for years, the locality immediately above the
anal canal will become dilated or cavernous (caused by retained feces
or gases), which cavity is called ballooning of the rectum. When a
speculum is introduced into the rectum (as shown on page 14 of pamphlet
_How to Become Strong_), and through it a bent probe is inserted to
determine the depth of the dilatation or abnormal cavity, it is as if
one were poking inside of a