The first Billroth II gastric resection as reported by an Italian medical journal

A report on the first Billroth II surgical intervention for gastric cancer is entirely reprinted. The description is original and is taken from a letter published by a young Italian physician. Eugenio Casati, who was present in the operative theatre of the Second Surgical Clinic of the University of Vienna on January 15, 1885, while he was on a scientific journey in Europe. A biographical profile of the writer is provided. The origin of the surgical procedure for gastric resection known as Billroth II is also examined, and its significance in the early surgery of the alimentary tract is highlighted. A short account by Billroth's pupil, Viktor von Hacker, on the same intervention also allows comparison and a better knowledge of Billroth's surgical strategy in performing one of the starting points of modern gastric surgery.