In the past the majority of patients suffering from diverticulitis have been treated by the internist. Only about a fifth of these patients have been sent for surgical treatment. Very properly the treatment at the time of operation has been limited to management of the complications of the underlying diverticulitis. Because of the nature of the lesion, sound surgical principles based on extensive experience over a long period have dictated that the patient must undergo a multiple-stage operation. In most instances it was proved that the attempt to excise the inflamed portion of bowel and reestablish continuity all in one operation was indeed foolhardy. In more recent years the dramatic improvements which have come about in the field of intestinal surgery have stimulated certain surgical leaders to consider single-stage operations in isolated instances of diverticulitis. We have recently had occasion to test out the newer principles and have been very