Definition of Crohn’s Disease

Abstract

A priori, it must be admitted that the task of this section — to define Crohn’s disease — is at the present time impossible. True definition of a disease must depend upon an understanding of its fundamental nature which far exceeds our present imperfect understanding of Crohn’s disease. There is for Crohn’s disease no “philosopher’s stone”, no single test or feature the presence of which is solely associated with the disease; and hence in a very real sense, we cannot define it.