In the course of memorial lecture the author commemorates Professor Géza Hetényi. His synthetizering role is stressed, analysing the professor's views on the clinical and theoretical medicine, on the medical practice and teaching in the medicine. Author performs it from the points of view of practising pathologist who considered the clinical pathology as the most important. After these introductory thoughts the role of pathologist is outlined in the gastroenterological diagnostics. Before the introduction of modern fiberoptic endoscopy, the pathologist met with some forms of the gastroenterological diseases at most during the processing work of surgically removed specimens or even more in the autopsy room, but in the latter cases only their end stage could be demonstrated. The introduction of so-called blind exfoliative cytology by the gastric lavage was a great leap forward. Advanced gastric carcinoma were detected mostly by this method but some early gastric cancer could be also discovered occasionally. The more and more wide-spread use of modern fiberpotic endoscopy was of decisive importance because by this way the aimed forceps biopsy could be performed completed with a new form of gastric cytology, with abrasive smears. The specificity and sensitivity of the latter method achieves or surpasses the 90%. Nowadays, not only the stomach carcinomas but their possible precancerous conditions and changes as chronic gastritis can be diagnosed on morphological basis. The history of different gastritis classifications is also surveyed emphasised author's own pathogenetic conceptions which can be included well in our now accepted modern Sydney-classification.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)