Gastric mucosal injury by chloral hydrate (CH) was investigated in the rat. Rats were injected with CH intraperitoneally or subcutaneously. After the CH injection, gastric ulcers appeared in the glandular stomach at 6 h and the ulcer index peaked in 12 h. The minimum dosage of CH to produce ulcers was 400 mg/kg intraperitoneally and 600 mg/kg subcutaneously.