T HAT uIcers occur frequentIy at or near the suture Iine fohowing any of the weII-known types of gastrointestina1 anastomoses is, I think, generaIIy recognized by a11 interested in gastrointestina1 surgery. The cause of this so-caIIed recurrence of either postoperative margina or jejuna1 uIcer is unknown. SeveraI theories have been advanced, however. UIcers have been produced experimentaIIy in dogs by the use of caustics, cauteries, injection of bacteria, cIamps, and so forth, but no experiments have proved that these are causative agents in man. Some of the prominent symptoms of this distressing condition may be mentioned briefIy. An individua1 suspected of having a margina uIcer frequentIy is emaciated, has a secondary anemia of greater or Iesser degree, and gives a history of former gastric or duodena1 uIcer. The uIcer may have been treated for a Iong period of time with a diet and the welLknown types of aIkaIine treatment. After severa recurrences he submits to operation and possibIy one of the most common types of operation for this condition is performed, a gastroenterostomy. After a lapse of one to two years he again compIains of gastrointestina1 symptoms. However, the symptoms are not cIear-cut for duodena1 or gastric uIcer. The duration of reIief after ingestion of food is comparativeIy short, pain is in the region of the midportion of the transverse coIon, and the disease now incapacitates much more than the former duodena1 or gastric uIcer. As to the time of recurrence, I might state that we have one case in our series where the margina uIcer occurred seven months after gastroenterostomy and another case where the uIcer did not occur until eIeven years had eIapsed. BaIfour reported one fourteen years after gastroenterostomy. As for the etioIogy of this condition, some of the causes mentioned are: (a) The use of cIamps during the origina gastroenterostomy; (6) the use of nonabsorbabIe suture materia1; (c) fauIty technique in that the anastomosis was poorIy pIaced, not being at the most dependent part of the stomach, or being pIaced too cIose to the transverse coIon; (d) hematoma at the time of operation, the hematoma becoming infected and Iater causing inff ammation, iI (e) foca1 infection (bacteria) ; (f) Iack of pathology, gastroenterostomy where no pathoIogy was present or where the origina operation was done with a mistaken diagnosis, such as a gastroenterostomy being done for gastric crisis or hemorrhagic hepatitis. We have used the ordinary gastroenterostomy cIamp in doing a11 of our stomach operations for severa years, and as far as we were abIe to ascertain, cIamps were used in a11 our cases primariIy operated by others. We have used absorbabIe suture materia1 in doing our gastrointestina1 work for severa years, without the use of linen or siIk. Hematoma, either by puncture of a smaI1 vesse1 or improper hemostasis at the time of operation, hardIy seems possibIe as a definite cause when there are cases of margina uIcer recurring fourteen years after the origina gastroenterostomy. Another cause cited is that the gastroenterostomy stoma is too smaI1, causing excessive irritation of the margin of the stoma. We were unabIe to verify this in any of our cases operated, the stoma admitting the usua1 three finger tips and approximating the norma size of the pyIorus. The recurrence of margina uIcers due