DERMATOMYOSITIS The diagnosis covers a group of cases characterized by inflammation and degeneration of the skin and muscles, accompanied with severe prostration and frequently resulting in death, particularly in children and young adults. The cases so diagnosed have varied in many respects, and some writers1 have questioned whether they form a clinical entity. A patient recently observed at the Presbyterian Hospital, who presented most of the features included in Unverricht's original description2 of dermatomyositis, was found at autopsy to have adenocarcinomas of the ovaries with extensive metastases. Although the coincidence of dermatomyositis and malignant disease has been reported previously, the frequency is unknown. It, therefore, seemed desirable to present a report of this case and to search the records of the Presbyterian Hospital for other similar cases. This led to a review of all cases seen at that institution over a 20-year period in an effort to throw