&NA;This is a review with annotated references of recent articles on several topics. Reports of medication‐induced diseases of the colon and rectum are reviewed, including injury from detergent enemas, analgesic suppositories containing acetylsalicylic acid and paracetamol, injury from nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (naproxen and diclofenac sodium), and colonic pseudoobstruction due to oral amphetamines. Other articles dealing with radiation proctitis include a review of long‐term complications, an animal model of proctitis cystica profunda, and treatment of chronic bleeding with hyperbaric oxygen. Studies dealing with platelet‐activating factor and epidermal growth factor in colonic disease are summarized. Reviews of colonic metabolism and the treatment of diarrhea are discussed. Studies of the role of short‐chain fatty acids in colonic blood flow and on the treatment of chronic constipation with sorbitol are reviewed.Current Opinion in Gastroenterology 1992,8:57‐62