In 1887, Harald Hirschsprung published the first detailed description of congenital megacolon, but it was not until 1948 that the true nature of the disease was defined. The discoveries at that time included the finding of aganglionosis in the rectum, the demonstration that peristaltic activity in the colon was propagated only as far as the narrowed aganglionic segment of bowel, and the relief of obstructive symptoms by rectosigmoidectomy. The key histological feature in Hirschsprung's disease is the absence of ganglion cells, which …