ACUTE rheumatic fever in young adults either in naval service1or in civilian life2begins primarily as an acute infection exhibiting acute polyarticular arthritis as the major manifestation. The disabling character of the acute polyarticular manifestations results in early medical care in most instances, before irreparable visceral damage necessarily occurs or the chronicity of infection becomes fixed. Therefore, a therapeutic regimen which succeeds in modifying the natural course of the disease offers the opportunity of preventing these unfortunate sequelae. This paper deals with the effectiveness of intensive salicylate therapy by the Coburn technic3in accomplishing these objectives. The essential problems in the treatment of acute rheumatic fever are: the alleviation of acute articular, visceral and toxic manifestations; the prevention, or lessening of the degree, of permanent cardiac damage; the shortening of the over-all period of active infection and the prevention of relapses and residual chronic infection. While