# Tubercular Distended Rectum **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176 "2014-12-14T02:43:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/1 "2014-12-14T02:43:24Z")
Baseball player Fred Dunlap’s cause of death is listed as “Tubercular Distended Rectum.” Uh…what is that, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/2 "2014-12-14T02:54:51Z")
Dunno, but it sounds like it could be a metal band name. [This may have some bearing (TL;DR other than the title)](http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1552728&blobtype=pdf) ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/3 "2014-12-14T02:55:19Z")
I’m no medical expert, but you can get gastric TB, and one of my pets had a distended rectum. It’s when your butthole and your colon push out of your body. It sounds like he had both and the combo killed him. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/4 "2014-12-14T06:00:00Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > It sounds like he had both and the combo killed him. You’re saying his rectum damn near killed him? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/5 "2014-12-14T08:00:29Z")
Best post of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/6 "2014-12-14T20:21:10Z")
Just so poor Fred is known for something other than his Tubercular Distended Rectum, it should be pointed out that he hit .412 for the 1880 champion St. Louis Maroons, and played alongside such all-time greats as Buttercup Dickerson, Pretzels Getzien and Phenomenal Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/7 "2014-12-14T20:31:13Z")
Huh. And his nickname was Sure Shot. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/8 "2014-12-15T00:23:06Z")
I’d bet he had a tuberculous mass in the abdomen which eroded into or obstructed the rectum, resulting in death. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/9 "2014-12-15T01:38:00Z")
Or tuberculous involvement of the anorectal region, resulting in a mass with obstruction and proximal rectal dilatation, resulting in death. _“Primary intestinal tuberculosis is usually because of bovine tubercle bacilli through milk. Decreased incidence of primary tuberculosis has been seen due to pasteurization of milk. Rectal TB can present with annular stricture or with ulceration of mucosa with fibrosis.”_ [http://www.abdominalsurg.org/journal/2013/tuberculosis-rectum-mimicking-malignancy.html](http://www.abdominalsurg.org/journal/2013/tuberculosis-rectum-mimicking-malignancy.html) Seeing that raw milk is becoming more popular in the U.S., maybe we’ll get to see additional examples of this lovely complication in the future. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/10 "2014-12-15T02:32:26Z")
Yes, that’s what I thought of - mycobacterium bovis infection transmitted through milk, a once common problem that was pretty much eradicated by pasteurization. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/11 "2014-12-15T02:46:42Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Or tuberculous involvement of the anorectal region, resulting in a mass with obstruction and proximal rectal dilatation, resulting in death. Oh yeah, that. I hate when that happens. I remember, back in med school (decades and decades ago now) getting it drilled into my head that TB should be on virtually _every_ differential diagnosis list we came up with, since it caused damn near every symptom. That and syphilis. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/12 "2014-12-15T06:04:56Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Oh yeah, that. I hate when that happens. > > I remember, back in med school (decades and decades ago now) getting it drilled into my head that TB should be on virtually _every_ differential diagnosis list we came up with, since it caused damn near every symptom. That and syphilis. At least you know that it is never Lupus… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/13 "2014-12-15T09:42:37Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Dunno, but it sounds like it could be a metal band name. Or a pretty decent SDMB user name. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/14 "2014-12-15T09:49:45Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Or a pretty decent SDMB user name. I’m really tempted to PM **TubaDiva** and ask for that one. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/15 "2014-12-15T14:06:07Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > At least you know that it is never Lupus… 🆒 Except when it is. Remember, House got expelled from Johns Hopkins . . . ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/16 "2014-12-15T14:10:21Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Except when it is. Remember, House got expelled from Johns Hopkins . . . In Russia, Tubercular Distended Rectum expels you. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/17 "2014-12-15T14:38:03Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > It’s when your butthole and your colon push out of your body. I thought that was a [prolapse?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectal_prolapse) Although I suppose a prolapse could somehow be a complication due to distended rectum. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubercular-distended-rectum/707176/18 "2014-12-15T17:28:35Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I thought that was a [prolapse?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectal_prolapse) Although I suppose a prolapse could somehow be a complication due to distended rectum. You would be correct. Distended rectums may prolapse, but prolapsed rectums need not be distended. Extended, certainly. But not necessarily distended.