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In the controversial Bernheim's syndrome, right ventricular failure can be produced by hypeitrophy and dilatation of the left ventricle with encroachment of the intraventricular septum into the cavity of the right ventricle, forming a barrier to the flow of blood into the right ventricle. A case is reported in which this syndrome was diagnosed during life and confirmed at autopsy. Hearts of similar weight with left ventricular hypertrophy were sectioned in the same plane for comparative purposes.IN 1908, Bernheim' first described a symptom complex that has since been the subject of considerable controversy. In this and subsequent publications, Bernheim2 presented case reports to illustrate his belief that right ventricular failure can occasionally supervene from eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy with minimal hypertrophy and dilatation of the right ventricle. He observed that this hypertrophy and dilatation of the left ventricle can in certain cases produce encroachment of the interventricular septum upon the cavity of the right ventricle in its apical half to form a stenosis or physical barrier to the flow of blood, with resultant systemic venous engorgement.It was Bernheim's contention that the symptom complex resulting from this stenosis could be diagnosed during life if the patient's symptoms were carefully evaluated. He claimed that in his cases the symptoms and signs of right ventricular failure preceded and predominated over those of left ventricular failure until the terminal stages, when both were markedly evident. This evidence of pulmonary congestion when cardiac failure is advanced does not preclude the existence of this entity as claimed by some.3There are numerous references to this syndrome in continental literature, but in the English language journals, reports are conspicuously scarce. Master and Russell4 reported a complex case of acute coronary artery occlusion with interventricular septal perforation and occlusion of the superior vena cava. Be-