1. The radioactivity and fluorescence distribution pictures of tritium‐labelled tetracycline in some tumour‐bearing mice were investigated by means of autoradiography and fluorescence technique applied to whole body sections. In some tissues, including blood, bone marrow, lung, heart muscle, red pulp and marginal zone of the spleen, thyroid, brown fat, stomach (contents), and kidney, fluorescence was weaker than would be expected from the concentration of the drug. The reasons for this are discussed. A high tissue content of calcium seems to enhance the fluorescence more than can be accounted for only by the concentration. In the von Kossa‐positive parts of an osteosarcoma fluorescence, and to a less extent radioactivity, was strong and persistent. In the two von Kossa‐negative soft tumours fluorescence as well as radioactivity was rather weak.
2. After the administration of demethylchlortetracycline to mice bearing ten different kinds of tumours, persisting fluorescence after 24 h was seen only in three osteosarcomas and one mammary carcinoma and was confined to von Kossa‐positive areas.
Our results favour the view that tetracyclines are retained in tumour tissue with an increased calcium content, which is probably less important in increasing the real concentration of the drugs than in enhancing their fluorescence.