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A paper entitled "The Study of an Infant with a Gastric Fistula, " by George L. Engel and Franz Reichsman, was the main presentation around which this panel was structured. The paper dealt with the concomitant and interrelated studies of gastric secretions, behavior and affects in an infant girl, Monica (age 15 months), who had a gastric fistula. Engel and Reichsman gave a preliminary report of a case which, when the studies are completed and published, will stand in both its procedural and substantive aspects as a model for the single case study in psychophysiological research.
The morning session was opened by the Chairman, Lawrence S. Kubie, who indicated that we could anticipate a contribution of real significance. This session can be summarized under four headings: (1) the case history of Monica; (2) the outline of observations and measurements that the authors elected to study; (3) the results of the physiological studies; (4) discussion by panel members. (The afternoon session was concerned more with the behavioral and emotional responses of the child.)
Much of the material given by Engel and Reichsman was presented in remarkable motion-picture sequences and through the use of detailed still-pictures, tables and slides. No verbal reporting can convey our impressions of these, though measurements and data based on them will be summarized.
Case History. Monica, at the time the study was initiated, was a 15-month-old infant born with a congenital atresia of the esophagus, upon whom gastric and esophageal fistulae were established within the first three days of life. At 15 months the child was much under-developed, weighing only 4500 grams, and she was considered to be suffering