A HISTOLOGIC STUDY OF MECKEL'S DIVERTICULUM

The recent literature contains numerous references to gastric mucosa adjacent to the so-called "peptic ulcers of Meckel's diverticulum." In these articles interest is almost entirely restricted to the clinical aspects of the anomaly. My purpose in this paper is to report the histologic observations in nineteen new cases of Meckel's diverticulum and to collect the previous data on the incidence, position and types. The first case of Meckel's diverticulum mentioned in the literature is that of J. H. Lavater in 1672. In 1698 Ruysch referred to this diverticulum, and in 1701 he published an illustration of an additional case. Littre in 1742 observed such a diverticulum in a hernia. However, until the time of Meckel little was known of the diverticulum which bears his name. In 1808 he mentioned it, and in 1812 he wrote the first accurate description of the diverticulum, giving its embryologic background and emphasizing its clinical