Smears and sections were obtained from various labelled points on the mucosal surface of 25 freshly-excised stomachs, and the appearances were compared. Normal gastric mucosa, intestinal metaplasia, chronic gastritis, and carcinoma could generally be identified from the smears. In a few smears from the edge of peptic ulcers there were abnormal cells which might cause confusion with carcinoma. Conversely, tumour cells were seen which would be very hard to diagnose with certainty on cytological grounds.