The Author considers 80 cases of mesenteric infarct which have been observed in the emergency Ward of the Milan Ospedale Maggiore. A discussion follows of the problem of etiology on hand of the literature and of the most recent views on the functional infarct. Attention is given to macroscopical and microscopical anatomy and pathogenetic interpretation is offered, basing upon the results of experimental investigation work. The Author underlines the most important characters of the clinical picture as derived from their experience, discusses the diagnosis and offers a schema for therapy on hand both of classical knowledge and of the new possibilities offered today by modern surgery and by the adoption of new drugs. It is concluded that the statistical data show a considerable decrease of recent operative mortality both compared to recent years and to percentages reported by other AA.