A 61-year-old man was seen at the University of Chicago Clinics on Jan. 26, 1953, in the emergency clinic, having been in coma for one day. The history as obtained from relatives revealed that he had complained of epigastric pain, headache, and weakness eight days before admission and that for four days he had had no urine output. He was seen by his family physician and given supportive treatment, but the malaise and headache persisted. The past history indicated that he had undergone an iridectomy for acute glaucoma in 1952 and had an appendectomy at his community hospital for ruptured appendix on Nov. 7, 1952. During the operation the patient received a transfusion of whole blood. After the appendectomy he did poorly, showing fever and elevated blood sugar level. Extreme difficulty was encountered in his postoperative management, and his blood sugar values ranged from 300 to 390 mg. per 100