Many patients who suffer from various diseases of the intra-abdominal organs attribute the onset of their trouble to a strain or other abdominal injury. Frequently in such cases the attending physician agrees with the theory of traumatic etiology. The result is, when the circumstances permit, a claim for damages or compensation. There is hardly a disease of the abdominal viscera that has not been the subject of personal injury litigation. The claim of traumatic rupture of gastric or duodenal ulcers is a common example. Claims have been made in cases of this kind in which either an alleged or a real injury has preceded the rupture by from a few hours to several days.
Several cases of this kind have come under my observation, and I have always felt that the laws of hydromechanics apply to the abdomen and its fluid contents. However, there is no proof that the laws