Eighty-two patients with varicella between the ages of 6 months and 12 years whose rash was of less than 24 hours' duration and none of whose lesions were in the crust or scab stage were seen on admission and followed daily for six days. Forty-one of these patients received aureomycin orally (50 mg./kg. body weight the first 24 hours; 25 mg./kg. body weight the next 48). Forty-one cases served as controls. Aureomycin had no effect on the cases treated. Two patients developed epidemic parotitis despite the administration of aureomycin early in their incubation periods.