Barrett’s esophagus was first discovered by Dr. Norman Barrett, a Australian-born British surgeon at St Thomas’ Hospital, in 1957. Tileston, in 1906, was the first to describe columnar metaplasia of the esophagus, as ‘peptic ulcer of the esophagus’.

The following are a few aspects about the historical perspective of Barrett’s esophagus :^[1][2]

• Norman Barrett, in 1957, defined the esophagus as, ‘that part of the fore-gut, distal to the cricopharyngeal sphincter, which is lined by squamous epithelium’.
• The columnar metaplasia of the esophagus is referred to as Barrett’s esophagus (BE).
• Tileston, in 1906, was the first to describe columnar metaplasia of the esophagus, as ‘peptic ulcer of the esophagus’.