Diagnosis. There are two classes of characteristic symptoms—those originating from the exposure of nerve-endings, and those caused by ulceration into bloodvessels. The first class includes the painful sensations, the characteristic soreness, which occurs in about four-fifths of all the cases; the second class, the hemorrhages, occurring in only one-fourth of all the cases. You can readily see why pain occurs more often than hemorrhage. Even a very superficial abrasion may expose nerve-endings to the irritation of the food, while it takes a deeper ulceration to lay open a larger bloodvessel. In order to make a positive diagnosis, these two symptoms should be present.

Vomiting of blood alone need not necessarily be caused by a gastric ulcer. There are a great many other conditions which may cause it. It should, however, put you on the guard, and can, . . . Read More