We have studied the fundamental muon-nucleon interaction from the muon capture in gaseous and molecular hydrogen and the nuclear structure problem upon the knowledge of the former from muon captures in C12 and O16. The phenomenological V - A theory of leptonic interactions is adopted for the fundamental process μ- + p → n + νμ. The behavior of the form factors is determined under the assumptions of 1) conserved vector current, 2) isotriplet vector current, 3) partially conserved axial vector current, 4) definite G-parity for the current, and 5) muon-electron universality. Calculated muon capture rates are in agreement with the recent data on gaseous hydrogen, and also with the data on molecular hydrogen if the molecular factor 2γ = 1.00 is accepted. The muon capture rate is calculated for the reaction μ- + C12 → B12 (ground state) + νν, with general p-shell wave functions which were obtained by considering the dynamical properties in the A = 12 system. The experimental ft value of the beta decay of B12, which in all previous theories is used to normalize the muon capture rate, has not been adopted in this analysis. An excellent fit to the experimental data for the capture rate as well as for the ft value has been obtained with the B12 wave function proposed by Kurath to explain the magnetic moment of B12 and a C12 wave function introduced here. The oscillator strength parameter is chosen to be b = 1.64 fm; this is in conformity with the elastic and most of the inelastic electron scattering data. The muon capture rates are also calculated for the reactions μ- + O16 → N16 (0-, 1-, 2-) + νμ, with the RPA and Tamm-Dancoff models. The calculated capture rates agree well with experimental data, if 1) CP/CA = 5 ~ 14 and the Gillet wave functions are adopted in the reaction 0+ → 0-, 2) a configuration mixing is taken into account in the reaction 0+ → 10, and 3) a normalization by the experimental beta decay rate of N16 is introduced in the reaction 0+ → 2-.