The symptoms of constipation of the small bowel are dry stools, usually
light in colour.

To cure this type, more water should be drunk, so that the waste may pass
to the large bowel in a fluid state. Drink freely between meals, especially
in summer, when profuse perspiration often causes obstinate constipation.

The symptoms of constipation of the large bowel are furred tongue, foetid
breath, sallow or jaundiced complexion, and mottled stools of round, hard
balls, the first portion being very firm, and the remainder nearly liquid.
There are occasional attacks of colic.

The first step towards cure is to form regular habits. At a suitable time,
say shortly after breakfast, or after supper if you suffer from
hæmorrhoids, go to the lavatory, whether you feel uncomfortable or not.
Wait patiently, do not try to hasten matters by violent straining, and if
for some weeks there is little improvement, do not despair, for the habits
of a lifetime are not overcome in five minutes, just because you have
decided to amend your careless ways. A short, brisk walk beforehand often
helps.

If necessary, use a chamber and "squat" as savages do. In this position,
the thighs support the abdomen, and force is exerted without straining.
Massaging the abdomen by firmly rubbing it round and round, clockwise, with
the hand, often does good, as does pressure with a finger on the flesh
between the end of the backbone and the anus. Try every method before
taking purgatives, for with patience and determination these are rarely
necessary.

Carefully cooked and "concentrated", easily digested and "pre-digested"