One who is interested in the subject and who peruses the voluminous writings on chronic gastritis may be struck by the thought that for a matter in which the clinical manifestations are fairly definite and the pathologic characters are readily observable and easily catalogued there is a curious excess of speculation, arbitrary conclusions and disturbing contradictions.
Even Henning,1 whose treatise covers most of the important observations which have been made concerning chronic gastritis, leaves one with a sense of futility, if any effort is made to harmonize signs and symptoms with the pathologic pictures which he so graphically presents.
Perhaps it is fortunate for me that I am not directly concerned with the clinical phases of this question. But I have studied these sufficiently to realize their exceedingly great complexities and to appreciate the reason for so much comparatively fruitless writing about them. Furthermore, I am convinced that any