Congenital atresia of the esophagus is not a medical oddity but a relatively common cause of neonatal infant morbidity and mortality. This lesion is susceptible to a single curative surgical procedure in at least 90 per cent of the patients, providing the diagnosis is made within the first or second day of life. Any newborn infant who (1) is delivered of a mother with polyhydramnios, or (2) suffers from excessive mucus or intermittent cyanosis, or (3) develops acute abdominal distention should be suspected of having esophageal atresia and have a catheter intubation of the esophagus performed immediately. If the catheter cannot be passed into the stomach, the newborn may be considered to have esophageal atresia until proved otherwise. The outlook for infants with this isolated anomaly is good. One should expect that, if a well-integrated effort is made to save these patients, 65 to 75 per cent will survive.