The micro-organisms are present wherever there is life and are as necessary to life as they are to death.

Ochsner states that in nearly all instances the disease can be traced to the common colon bacillus, which is always present when the intestine is normal.  The three pus cocci are sometimes blamed, and so are the bacilli of typhoid fever, tuberculosis and the ray fungus (so-called cause of lumpjaw).

Other causes given are:  Edema and congestion closing the lumen of the appendix, thus preventing drainage; constipation; digestive disturbances; traumatism; eating too freely while in an exhausted condition.

“Whatever the predisposing causes may be in any given case, the exciting cause is always some infectious material.  The colon bacillus is always present in the lumen of the alimentary canal and, although it is harmless under normal conditions, when these conditions arc changed and there is an abrasion, an abnormal condition of the circulation, or a lack of drainage, it becomes at once actively pathogenic.  With a perfectly normal peritoneum a considerable quantity of a pure culture of colon bacilli may be injected into the abdominal cavity without causing any harmful effect, as has been shown by the experiments of Ziegler, but if there is any disturbance in the circulation or nutrition of the peritoneum, the same quantity taken from the same culture will give rise to a dangerous peritonitis.”—­Ochsner. [This goes back to the constitutional derangement.  First of all low resistance, then any exciting cause is sufficient.]

In studying the cause of organic disease, the first thing to consider is the organ itself.  A knowledge of its structure and function will indicate what diseases it is liable to have—­what the character of the disease must be.

Reason would say that an organ can be deranged in two general ways, namely:  structurally and functionally.  In a structural way it may be impaired either by coming in violent contact with extraneous objects, or it may be crowded or pressed upon by enlarged or displaced associate organs.  In a functional way the derangement may be brought about from overwork or underwork.  A digestive organ may be overworked by being given too much food, or food of too stimulating a quality; or the over-stimulation may come from poisons coming into the food from without or developing in the food after its ingestion.  The bowels may be injured by coming in violent contact with external objects.  When this is the cause there will be the history of accident, etc.

The functions of the bowels are to furnish a dissolving fluid which is secreted by glands situated in their structure and opening into their lumen; besides the secreting glands they are provided with power to excrete and absorb.  The organs for the accomplishment of these purposes, like the secretory glands, are situated in the structure and open into the canal.  Besides the functions of secretion, excretion and absorption, the bowels act as the great sewer of the body.