A short historical introduction is given of the disease entity known as cardiospasm. The three important symptoms are difficulty in swallowing, pain in the region of the sternum, and regurgitation of food. Little emphasis has so far been placed on the psychic factors in the disorder. Therapeutic efforts have for the most part been confined to dilatation of the lower end of the esophagus. The author cites 9 case histories of patients suffering from cardiospasm. Each is characterized by a background of emotional conflict and insecurity. The conclusion is reached that cardiospasm is a psychosomatic disorder, that it is "an organ neurosis, corresponding to a form of conversion hysteria rooted in the unconscious mental life of the individual. It arises coincidently with an emotional conflict, in many cases during puberty, in an individual whose early life gives evidence of personality difficulties." Patients with cardiospasm require a combined physical and psychological study and treatment.