Trauma to the abdomen, both accidental and willful, has become increasingly common in this era of increasing violence. Large numbers of patients all over the country are admitted to emergency rooms because of abdominal trauma of varying degrees of severity. All too often the correct diagnosis is suspected belatedly or not at all, so that proper treatment is not initiated in sufficient time to be lifesaving. Not infre quently, the injured patient is examined by an intern or an insufficiently experienced resident physician. Even in instances where more senior internists and surgeons are...