One of the most important matters for the physician to determine when called to attend an infant suffering from a diarrheal disorder is the probable condition of the intestinal tract. Are the symptoms produced by a gastrointestinal intoxication with little or no alteration in the intestinal wall, is the mucosa of the bowel congested, infiltrated or thickened, or is there a definite loss of substance, ulceration? Moreover, if there is a lesion, what is its situation in the course of the alimentary canal? These are questions on the answer to which depends the intelligent treatment of the patient.
In the preparation of this paper the autopsy records of 100 fatal cases, covering a number of years, at the Thomas Wilson Sanitarium have been reviewed, and the actual condition of the small and large intestine noted in each case, together with the character of the stools as indicated in the clinical