A symptomatic hernia (most inguinal or femoral hernia, seldom epigastric, umbilical or post-operative hernia)--appeared a little while ago--originates from a preexisting, so far unknown or long since known illness. All patients with a hernia--especially those over 40 years old--are to be carefully asked for preexisting illnesses. Barium-enema and rectoscopy are not indicated at each inguinal or femoral hernia as a screening-method to exclude a symptomatic hernia; however, both methods must be employed in suspicious cases. 320 Patients with a histologically verified carcinoma of the rectum and colon had no inguinal or femoral hernia. From 387 patients with an inguinal or femoral hernia 318 patients were over 40 years old; at these patients polyps were found in five cases by rectoscopy, but never by barium-enema, and two carcinoma of the colon transverse appeared by barium-enema. A 23-years old patient with a great intraabdominal malignant tumor must be added to the sum total.