A  faecal  mass  in  the  colon  is  more  irregular  in  shape  and
less  definite  in  outline  than  a  gastric  concretion.  It  is  less
hard  to  the  touch,  and  may  even  be  soft  enough  to  indent  with
the  finger,  while  other  tumours  of  a  similar  character  may  be
found  in  the  caecum,  sigmoid  flexure,  or  rectum.  The  passage
of  a  tube  shows  that  the  stomach  is  empty  and  situated  above
the  tumour,   and  the  administration   of   several  large   ene-


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TREATMENT.  287

mata  will  either  diminish  the  size  of  the  mass  or  remove  it
altogether.
Treatment. — If  the  tumour  is  small  in  size,  it  may  be
possible  to  secure  its  evacuation  by  an  emetic;  but  this  method
is  always  fraught  with  a  certain  amount  of  danger,  on  account
of  the  ulceration  of  the  stomach  which  is  often  present.  In
the  case  of  large  tumours  medicinal  remedies  are  valueless,  and
recourse  must  be  had  to  an  operation.  In  the  cases  reported
by  Knowsley  Thornton  and  Schonbom  the  mass  was  success-
fully removed  after  the  nature  of  the  tumour  had  been  deter-
mined by  an  exploratory  incision,  while  in  that  recorded  by
Schreiber  a  correct  diagnosis  of  phytobezoar  was  made  by  the
physician  and  the  concretion  extracted.
(2)  LIVING  CREATURES.
