Overview of 50 years' progress in upper gastrointestinal diseases

There have been numerous and dramatic advances in our understanding of the mechanisms, causes and treatments of upper gastrointestinal diseases in the past 50 years. This review focuses on a few, not dealt with elsewhere in this special issue of the Journal. The early history of the recognition that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a major cause of peptic ulcer is described, with particular attention to the work of the pioneering Australian investigators. The story of the development of the histamine H(2)-receptor antagonists and the proton pump inhibitors is also outlined.