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SUMMARY Techniques are described for preparing monolayers of normal rat alveolar and peritoneal macrophages. A comparison has been made of the relative bactericidal power of these phagocytes against two species of organisms. It has been shown that alveolar macrophages are less able to kill E. coli and S. aureus in vitro than are peritoneal macrophages. Other differences have been measured between these two types of cell; acid phosphatase and lysozyme levels were both found to be considerably higher in the lung macrophages. The part played by normal alveolar phagocytes in immunity is discussed, and it is suggested that present criteria for characterising components of the RES may be inadequate since “RE” cells may differ functionally and physiologically from one organ to another within the same animal.

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