Abstract
A study of the relative frequency of certain conditions causing jaundice was made in 926 hospital patients in whom jaundice was the chief complaint. In 87% of the cases the diagnosis was confirmed at operation or by pathological examination. In over 95% the jaundice was found to be due to hepatitis, cirrhosis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, or carcinoma. The relative frequency of these different conditions varied according to the sex as well as the age of the patient. Among patients under the age of 20 years, 87% of the cases of jaundice were due to hepatitis, which must be treated medically; among patients after the age of 30, jaundice was due to surgical conditions in 80% of the men and 95% of the women.