These folds within the canal may become too much narrowed by disease and thus prevent the movement of the matters inside; this is obstipation.

We would expect people suffering from constipation or obstipation to pass as fairly well people for a time, but the same is not true of patients having the other condition, costiveness.

The words constipation, obstipation and costiveness are often employed as if of exactly similar meaning, but it is well to let each stand for a particular condition.