History of gall bladder disease

Conclusions

The gall bladder patient is a distinct entity. He has local phenomena of a certain type and owing to the peculiar nature of his illness involving, in nearly every instance, organs other than the biliary tract, he is likely to present subjective phenomena of a general as well as a local order. Apart from the more or less specific character of the attack with its more or less typical localization and radiation, he belongs to a certain group which has in the majority of instances certain things in common. In three out of four cases, he is constipated and in nearly the same number he is subject to nervous disorders. In four out of five instances, he suffers from some form of flatulent indigestion, while distress is found in 71.1 per cent and a history of pain in 75.9 per cent. These patients are subject to headache in 61.7 per cent, dizziness in 51.3 per cent, biliousness, cardiovascular phenomena in 39.6 per cent with dyspnea occasionally, transitory or on exertion in 52.2 per cent and they complain of rheumatic phenomena whether involving nerves, muscles or joints in 31.7 per cent. They are frequently infected, 48.4 per cent showing nose and throat complaints, 24 per cent are subject to colds—10 per cent showed infected tonsils, 25 per cent infected teeth (a figure too low); sinus disease was common in all of this group. We know that they fatigue easily, sleep poorly, and show a distinct aversion, or rather mishandling, for fats. Furthermore, they are inclined to neurasthenic, melancholic hypochondriacal and psychotic manifestations, many of which are directly linked up with faulty metabolism or the result of a systemic toxemia incident to some local focus.

In conclusion I would point out that gall bladder disease, as commonly met with, nearly always is an end result, of many years in duration and that not infrequently the “agent provacateur” still is in the system.