DISEASE. The mesentery derives its name from being connected to the middle portion (Gr. meson) of the small intestine (enteron). It is a broad fold of peritoneum (the great serous membrane of the abdomen), surrounding the jejunum and the ileum, and attached posteriorly to the vertebral column. Its breadth between the intestinal and vertebral borders is about 4 in.; its attachtnent to the vertebral column is about 6 in. in length, kid its intestinal border extends from the duodenum to the end of the small intestine. It serves to retain the small intestines in their place, while it at the same time allows the necessary amount of movement, and it contains between its layers the mesenteric vessels, the lacteal vessels, and mesenteric glands. These glands are 100 to 150 in number, and are about the size of an almond. They exert an organizing action on the contents of the lacteals, the chyle being more abundant in fibrine and in corpuscles after it has passed through them. Hence it is obvious that disease of these glands must always seriously affect the process of assimila tion. The most important affection of these organs is their scrofulous or tubercular degeneration, which gives rise to the disease known as tabes mesenterica, a disease most common in childhood, but confined to no period of life. In the great majority of cases it is associated with, and often marked by, other results of the tubercular or scrofulous diathesis, such as pulmonary consumption, tubercular peritonitis, scrofulous disease of the spine, rickets, etc.; but sometimes the mesenteric glands seem almost exclusively affected, in which case the disease becomes sufficiently distinct to allow of easy detection.
The leading symptoms are acceleration of the pulse, occasional fever, especially towards evening, loss of color and flesh, derangement of the digestive organs (constipation or diarrhea, and oce,asional vomiting), a steady pain in the region of the navel, increased by pressure; but perhaps the most characteristic symptom is tumefaction and hardness of the abdomen, with general emaciation. The enlarged glands can sometimes be detected by a careful examination with the hand, especially in advanced cases. The progress of the disease is generally slow, but at length hectic fever sets in, the emaciation becomes extreme, dropsical effusion appears, and the patient dies exhausted, if not cut off ky the access of some acute inflammation.
The treatment mainly consists in the administration of cod-liver oil, or, if the stomach is too irritable to bear that medicine, of iodide of potassium, combined with some bitter infusion, the bowels being at the same time carefully attended to. The applica tion of stimulating liniments, or of iodine ointment, to the abdomen is often of great service. When the disease has advanced to a considerable extent, remedies are of little use, except to palliate some of the more urgent symptoms.
Independently of the disease that has just been noticed, inflammation of these glands is by no means uncommon when the mucous membrane of the small intestine fs ulcerated, as, for example, in typhoid or enteric fever.