Recently a young man was admitted to the orthopedic service of Brooke Army Hospital with bone pain and an osteolytic lesion of the right femoral head. The opinion of the staff members and consultants was that the lesion was either infectious or neoplastic in origin. The patient's general physical appearance, however, suggested that the patient probably had an endocrine disturbance as well, and it was felt that the patient should be medically evaluated prior to any surgical procedure. All concerned were of the opinion that if any endocrinopathy was present it was certainly an incidental finding. After extensive medical evaluation it was determined that the patient had primary myxedema, and he was started on therapy in preparation for surgery. The question as to a possible relation between myxedema and the type of bone lesion presented was discussed in detail with members of the consultant staff in the departments of medicine,