Wilks and Moxon1 in 1889 gave a good pathologic description of inflammatory lesions of the esophagus. More recent textbooks, by Adami and Nicholls,2 Kaufmann and Reimann3 (1929) and Bassler4 (1922) have given detailed descriptions of the various types of esophagitis. According to these writers, simple acute catarrhal esophagitis is rarely seen at necropsy. The pathologic process consists in exfoliation of the superficial epithelium and congestion of the mucosa. Chronic catarrhal esophagitis is described as occurring most commonly in alcoholic addicts and persons with pulmonary disease. According to these workers, esophagitis is the result of repeated congestion brought on by other diseases. Wood5 (1932) even stated that it may be a factor in the production of muscular hypertrophy, with narrowing of the lumen of the esophagus.
Follicular esophagitis is a name often used to describe a process in which the mucous glands participate markedly in