The
Raleigh News & Observer reports that Attorney General Ashcroft is in the hospital with severe abdominal pain caused by gallstone pancreatitis.
In a particularly apt description, WebMD theorizes that gallstones cause pancreatitis by blocking the bile duct, causing a buildup of bile and other enzymes, which inflame the pancreas.
So, being full of bile can cause pancreatitis.
Hmmm...