Epithelial Regeneration and Wound Healing

SAINT in 1929 documented the experimental studies that had been carried out up to that date on the healing of oesophageal wounds. The reported observations dealt with the relatively long-term results, and little attention was paid to the early changes that occurred during the period immediately following the infliction of the wound. Recently, Malm (1951) made observations following surgical experiments on the oesophagus in dogs, but again no reference was made to the early changes in epithelium or connective tissue. The most recent experimental work on oesophageal healing appears to be that of Picard, Henry, Cotte, & Inglesakis (1956), but their interest lay in the repair of muscular tissue. The present investigation was designed to study the behaviour of epithelium andconnective tissue in the cat's oesophagus, following the removal of small areas of mucous membrane. Routine histological methods were supplemented by a series of histochemical studies on both the normal and regenerating tissues.