Mucosal herniations in the colons of non-human primates.

Herniations of the mucosa through the colonic muscularis mucosae are described in apes and monkeys suffering from inflammatory disease of the colon as well as in apparently normal animals. Submucosal lymphoid nodules, causing discontinuity or splaying of the overlying muscularis mucosae were seen in profusion in normal colons. Evidence pointed to the fully developed herniations evolving therefrom by means of extrusion of the mucosa and that such extrusion resulted from or was hastened by contraction or hypertonicity of the colonic musculature.