There have been few studies of the motility of the colon proximal to the rectosigmoid area. For this purpose we evaluated (1) fasting and postprandial transverse and sigmoid colon motor activity and (2) the effects of a new nonselective anticholinergic drug, cimetropium bromide, on transverse and sigmoid motor responses to eating. Two paired studies were carried out in 11 healthy volunteers by means of a colonscopically positioned manometric probe. After placebo, eating significantly increased transverse and sigmoid motility indices throughout the recording period. Cimetropium significantly reduced the motor responses to eating in both the transverse and the sigmoid colon.