A method for measuring the activity of the gastropyloroduodenal unit in man

Dr John Dent from the University of Adelaide had invented the perfused sleeve catheter for measuring the pressures across a mobile sphincter. He incorporated this into a multilumen catheter assembly for recording the contractile activity in the stomach, pylorus and duodenum in human subjects. My experience with measuring transmucosal potential... Read more »

Haemorrhoids

The anal cushions are composed or erectile tissue similar to that in the penis. This is developed to enormous size in some gibbons and mandrills, where it is a sexual signal, but in man it's more modest function is to seal the anal canal and prevent seepage. We showed that... Read more »

Constipation; the thief of time!

"Constipation is the thief of time, diarrhoea waits for no man!" The literature suggested that idiopathic constipation, which mainly affected young women, could, like faecal incontinence, be caused by one of a number of possible defects. This was not true. Although our studies showed that a range of abnormalities, delays in... Read more »

Anorectal Function

The anus is much cleverer than we like to think. Or maybe we don't like to think about it at all, unless it fails or is too up tight. It is, in fact, two sphincters in one, the outer one under conscious control, the inner not. It is exquisitely... Read more »