MECKEL'S DIVERTICULUM

Abstract

Although in 1707 Ruysch¹gave an excellent illustration of a diverticulum of the terminal ileum (fig. 1), it was Lavater,²in 1671, who first observed a case. In 1769, Morgagni³discussed diverticula of the duodenum, ileum and rectum; he did not believe, however, that those of the ileum had any relation to the vitelline duct. In 1809,⁴his treatises contained not only a review of the literature of the sphenopalatine ganglion is still classic, that we are indebted for the clarity with which this developmental anomaly is now understood. In 1809,⁴his treatises contained, not only a review of the literature but a carefully worked out description of the development and anatomy of the diverticula that persist in the terminal ileum. He also brought out the relation of this process to the causation of disease. <h3>EMBRYOLOGIC DATA5</h3> It is normal for the proximal end