• The use of corticosteroids is only part of the treatment of ulcerative colitis. There is still no specific cure for this disease. The most striking benefit from steroid therapy in ulcerative colitis in this series was in the preparation for surgery of the acutely ill patient in a toxic condition. The risk in corticosteroid therapy lies in its masking effect on constitutional reaction, the obliteration of danger signs, and the direct toxic effect of the drugs.