The literature on traumatic rupture of the pericardium appears never to have been fully assembled and summarized. As recently as 1928, Spitzmüller1 made mention of only 3 cases in addition to his own. One might infer therefore that this type of injury is a rarity. However, that such an inference is not correct is readily shown by the fact that in 4,107 necropsies performed by the members of the staff of the department of pathology of the University of Oregon Medical School Hospitals and for the coroner of Multnomah County, Ore., over the eight year period between 1929 and 1937, 22 instances of this nature were encountered, none of which had been previously recorded. In all probability other autopsy statistics, particularly if any considerable number of accidental or violent deaths were investigated, would equal or even exceed this figure. Very probably the paucity of information concerning pericardial rupture is