In 1901 Van Yzeren1 discovered that subdiaphragmatic division of the vagus nerves to the stomach in rabbits frequently caused the development of chronic gastric ulcers. He believed these lesions were due to spasm of the gastric musculature and could sometimes be prevented by section of the muscles in the pyloro-antrum area or by gastroenterostomy. Auer2 confirmed these observations and pointed out that the incidence of these experimental gastric ulcers increased in those rabbits that survived the vagotomy for several months. Beazell and Ivy3 likewise observed gastric ulcers in rabbits following vagotomy, and implicated stasis of coarse food in the stomach as a factor, but not the only one, in their development. These reports of gastric ulcers appearing in animals after vagotomy were very disturbing to one of us (L. R. D.) when the introduction of gastric vagotomy was being considered for the treatment of duodenal ulcers. It