In June 1950, Freyberg1 and Hench2 independently announced the efficacy of cortisone tablets. Later, Freyberg and associates3 published the results of treatment with cortisone tablets in four patients. It was apparent that a suspension of cortisone taken orally should be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract as readily as cortisone taken in tablet form. Moreover, tablets of cortisone were not generally available at the time. Accordingly, we used cortisone suspension by mouth in order to evaluate the efficacy of the oral route of administration. This preliminary report is based on our experience with 29 patients selected from the medical wards of the Veterans Administration Hospital, San Francisco, and from private practice. Each patient had a disease known to respond favorably to cortisone and severe enough to warrant the use of the hormone. METHOD OF ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF CORTISONE SUSPENSION The injectable suspension of cortisone has a highly disagreeable