Surgery: The Sliding Stomach

Until Pope Pius XII fell ill in 1954, few people had ever heard of hiatal hernia and fewer knew what it was, although surprisingly many must have suffered from it. Nowadays the diagnosis is being made with startling frequency—in 10% to 12% of all patients who have X rays of the upper digestive tract. But is the condition more common than formerly? Probably not, said Harvard's Dr. Herbert D. Adams at a regional meeting of the American College of Surgeons in Boston. The explanation, he suggested, is that the X rays are now being read with greater care and skill....

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