A careful search of the literature has failed to reveal a single article dealing with chronic ulcerative colitis in childhood. Of the five cases to be considered in this paper, four were observed in the last two years, and one was reported by Logan1 in 1919. Although different in their mode of onset, when fully developed these cases appear to be the same, the chronic recurring dysentery with watery, bloody passages, marked emaciation, persistence of the symptoms in spite of treatment, and the absence of any known etiologic factor, such as Bacillus dyscnteriae, ameba, Balantidium coli, or tuberculosis making a definite clinical entity.
Chronic ulcerative colitis, as defined by Logan, is a chronic inflammation of the large bowel, of unknown etiology, and showing all grades of inflammation, from a reddened, congested, easily bleeding mucous membrane, to superficial and deep ulceration, with constant or recurring dysentery, lasting from many months