A review of the recent literature fails to reveal any articles dealing with the problem of rectal stricture complicating delivery, yet the great mass of rectal disorders that the average physician meets in general practice should warrant giving a severe rectal stricture the respect that is its due in regard to pregnancy and the delivery of that pregnancy. We feel that the presence of rectal stricture in the pregnant patient should be regarded with grave apprehension. The principal point in the relation which the presence of a stricture might have on the delivery of the pregnancy depends entirely on the degree of the stricture. A history of constipation over a long period of time associated with the presence of "pencil sized" stools should warn the obstetrician of impending difficulty. Small strictures, or "bands" in which there is no decrease in the size of the stools or in which