The Normal Stomach and Small Intestines in the Infant

Abstract

The gastro-intestinal tract has long been a rich field for the writing of technical papers, and roentgenologists have done their share to swell the volume of material. No matter who the essayist, however, his conclusions have been based, almost without exception, on consideration of the adult alimentary tract and its changes of form and reactions to disease. Little effort seems to have been expended on investigation of the normal gastro-intestinal tract of the infant and child and its early variations from the average normal. In the beginning of sound scientific knowledge, animal investigation was the only method available; hence conclusions as to the human being were drawn from known facts about the animal. Such information compared with a knowledge of adult pathological conditions as revealed during surgical procedures or at necropsy, and perhaps foreshadowed in roentgenographic examinations, has served to supply our conception of the child's anatomy and physiology. That, however, may not be the best ap...