Intended for healthcare professionals

  1. Civilisation and the...
  2. Question

Rapid response to:

History

Civilisation and the colon: constipation as the “disease of diseases”

BMJ 2000; 321 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7276.1586 (Published 23 December 2000) Cite this as: BMJ 2000;321:1586

Rapid Response:

Question

Could there be a historical correlation between the medical views on
constipation and the ubiquitous availability of opiate compounds? One
notes the history of the opium trade roughly parallels that of purgative
usage.

Thank you,
Mrs. Nickels

Competing interests: No competing interests

28 December 2000
Olive Longworth Nickels
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