Abstract

This historical overview describes the staff, hospitalization statistics, methods of diagnosing and more frequent reasons for hospitalization in the first gastroenterological hospital of Estonia, which was established in 1967 and acted up to 1972. The hospital served as a basis for diagnosing and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in  patients from the whole of Estonia; also it served as a research base of the University of Tartu. Innovative methods were implemented for diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases, especially malabsorption. The hospital provided a valuable input in the further development of gastroenterology in Estonia.