There is no general agreement among internists on the question of withholding or giving food to patients with bleeding peptic ulcer. Most clinicians advocate a period of fasting, the giving of fluids and transfusions when needed and rest. Allen and Benedict 1 reported 138 cases of massive hemorrhage with a mortality of 14.5 per cent. This did not, however, include gross hemorrhage of mild and moderate degree, the mortality of all patients treated for gross hemorrhage being less than 2 per cent. Goldman 2 noted 40 deaths in 349 cases of gross hemorrhage, a mortality of 11.5 per cent. Eggleston 3 treated 95 patients without a fatality. Hinton 4 reported 52 cases, with a 20 per cent mortality; Westermann, 5 50 cases with a 20 per cent mortality; Hendon, 6 46 cases with a 19 per cent mortality, and Manheim, 7 101 cases with an 8.9 per cent mortality for patients submitted to