The Role of the Surgeon in the Management of Peptic Ulcer

Abstract

ULCER is a more frequent cause of discomfort and disability than of death — that is, for every patient who dies, a far larger number suffer. Yet approximately 10,000 people die annually in the United States from ulcer and its complications. There has been no suggestion of improvement in this mortality, such as that in appendicitis and bowel obstruction during the past decade. Genesis of Ulcer Autopsy records indicate that evidence of an ulcer or ulcer scar can be found in 2 to 5 per cent of cases. The observations of William Beaumont1 on Alexis St. Martin and those of . . .