MECKEL'S diverticulum, although not a common anomaly, has occupied a prominent place in the medical literature during the past half century, mainly because of the fact that it has a remarkable facility for producing complex and unusual clinical symptoms which defy accurate diagnosis. The embryologic, pathologic and clinical aspects of this anomaly have been established and capably presented and reviewed by many authors. It is not our intent to present a detailed discussion of what is well established but only to summarize the important facts and to present an unusual case. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND To Johann Fredric Meckel, a German anatomist and surgeon, is credited the first adequate description of the origin and clinical significance of the diverticulum bearing his name today, which appeared in a series of three papers published between 1808 and 1815. However, earlier reports of ileal diverticula appeared in the literature by Hildanus in 1598 and by