Abstract

THE LOWER END OF THE OESOPHAGUS and all of this tube is regarded as oesophagus, It is probably neither ectopic, nor congenital, nor irrespective of its lining. permanent, nor in need of resection but meta- The lower centimetre or two of this tube is plastic and reversible. normally lined by columnar epithelium, previously I should like to thank Mr. N. R. Barrett for the called cardiac and regarded as gastric, but in this elegant drawing on page 38. and regarded as oeso- paper called junctional phageal. Thus the view that the oesophagus is a REFERENCES tube lined only by squamous epithelium is rejected. Allison, P. R., and Johnstone, A. S. (1953). Thorax, 8, 87. The cardia is defined as the lower sphincteric Barrett, N. R. (1950). Brit. J. Surg., 38, 175. - (1952). Proc. roy. Soc. Med., 45, 279. part of the oesophagus between the attachment of - (1957). Surgery, 41, 881. ligament and the oeso- Botha, G. S. M. (1958). Brit. J. Surg., 45, 569. the phreno-oesophageal Text-book of Anatomy (1951), 9th edition. Ed. Brash, Cunningham's phago-gastric junction. University Press, London. J. C. Oxford F. R., and Trounce, J. R. (1960). Brit. J. Surg., Ellis, G., Kauntze, in