THE PROBLEM of peptic ulcer has been the subject of continued inquiry for over fifty years. Various phases of the problem of ulcer have been investigated by members of the surgical staff of the Los Angeles General Hospital from time to time. Between 1936 and 1939, one of us (H.L.T.) reported results of a clinical study of 500 cases of acute perforation of peptic ulcer from this hospital. The mortality rate in surgically treated patients in this group was 28.7 per cent.1 This figure compared favorably with reports from other sources during the same period. The present study was made to determine some of the aspects of recent experience with surgical treatment of peptic ulcer in one of the large general hospitals in the United States. PERIOD OF OBSERVATION This study covers the two and one-half year period from Jan. 1, 1943 through June 30, 1945. During that time