The 5th of Edition of this Text Book has been developed around the "problem approach". Instead of asking a single author to cover "the alimentary tract", the numerous specific surgical problems involving the esophagus, stomach, small intestine or colon were to be examined in depth each by a surgeon experienced with that particular problem. A very large amount of material was surveyed and assembled, including individual surgical problems and the surgeons most knowledgeable about the given problems.